Please can you provide further information as to the reasons and a list of the roads in the borough which have Speed Limit Inconsistencies which either have had reductions or are being planned for reductions in the last year and under consideration.

Quote: “Early conversations are happening around speed limits and our resurfacing programme will be released over the coming weeks once finalised.”

The overall speed limit framework in England is set by Government and includes the setting of national limits for different road types. The three national speed limits are:

• the 30 mph speed limit on roads with street lighting (sometimes referred to as Restricted Roads)
• the national speed limit of 60 mph on single carriageway roads
• the national speed limit of 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways

These national limits are not, however, appropriate for all roads and the basis for making exceptions to these general limits is the responsibility of the Department for Transport, who have issued guidance to enable local highway authorities to set speed limits in situations where local needs and conditions suggest a speed limit which is different from the respective national speed limit. The Council’s approach to setting speed limits is based on the premise that they should be evidence-led and self-explaining and seek to reinforce people’s assessment of what is a safe speed to travel to encourage self-compliance, based on the Government’s published guidance for setting all local speed limits in both urban and rural areas. This seeks to ensure that speed limits achieve a safe distribution of speeds, consistent with the speed limit and that they reflect the function of the road and the road environment. This should imply a mean (average) speed appropriate to the prevailing road environment. Speed limits should not be used to attempt to solve the problem of isolated hazards, such as a single road junction or reduced forward visibility, for example, at a bend.

The Council monitors speed compliance on all roads in the borough and works closely with Thames Valley Police from an early stage when considering or determining any changes to speed limits.

1. List of Roads which have had speed limited reductions with explanation of justification.
There have been no reductions in speed limits in the past three years. The Council periodically undertakes a review of speed limits on A and B-class roads in the borough to determine whether there is a case for amendment in accordance with DfT guidance. The latest review was undertaken in 2021 and the Council is currently preparing a programme for amendments to the extent of roads covered by some speed limits and a reduction in speed limits on some A & B-class roads. These changes will be published in accordance with statutory procedures.

2. List of Roads with speed limit inconsistencies.
The review of speed limits on A & B roads found no inconsistencies between speed limits and road function/classification. In all cases, the measured mean (average) speed was commensurate with both the prevailing speed limit and road environment. This does not mean that some roads suffer from non-compliance by drivers. The Council acknowledges that some drivers habitually exceed the speed limit and this is a matter for enforcement by Thames Valley Police.

In some cases, the review concluded there were grounds for considering an extension to the distances covered by speed limits and for measures such as Speed Indication Devices and Vehicle Activated Warning Signs to be considered to support compliance. In parallel with the A & B-class road review, the Council also invited residents to identify streets where there were concerns over the level of compliance with existing speed limits. The review of speed limits on these roads is ongoing with the streets listed below currently being assessed.

• Barkham Street Wokingham
• Bell Foundry Lane Wokingham
• Blagrove Lane Wokingham
• Evendons Lane Wokingham
• Hollow Lane Shinfield
• Hyde End Road Spencers Wood
• Longfield Road Twyford
• Park Lane Wokingham
• Plough Lane Wokingham
• Rose Street Wokingham
• Wheeler Avenue Wokingham
• Ashridge Road Wokingham
• Bearwood Road Barkham
• Church Road Woodley
• Forest Road Wokingham
• Honey Hill Wokingham
• Hyde End Road Spencers Wood
• London Road Wokingham
• Meadow Road Earley
• Sandy Lane Wokingham
• Shefford Crescent Wokingham
• The Crescent Earley
• Various Roads Twyford
• Watson Close Finchampstead
• Wheeler Avenue Wokingham

3. List of Roads under consideration for speed limit reductions due to inconsistencies.
There are no streets currently under consideration for a reduction in speed limit due to inconsistencies between the speed limit and measured mean (average) speeds.

Review response:

There does not appear to be a legal Speed Limit Order for the reduction in speed for the section of road that you have referred to. Whilst this is shown on the ground as a reduced speed section, and there may well have been an article in the newspaper showing the same, the absence of the Order makes it impossible to answer your request for a date when this was introduced. This would also explain why the change in speed limit does not appear on our database, hence the answer first given to you. In summary, we do not hold the information that has been requested.