South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is running a public consultation on a plan to make permanent the 20mph speed limit on the road that passes under Parkway Bridge in Stoke Gifford.
Introduced in summer 2021, the reduced speed limit is intended to “encourage more considerate driving under and around the bridge” after the footways under the bridge were permanently widened to make walking and cycling safer.
The road and footway alterations were made following a 15-month period during the coronavirus pandemic in which temporary shuttle lights were in operation at the bridge. This arrangement allowed the footways under the bridge to be temporarily widened to allow pedestrians and cyclists to ‘socially distance’ from one another.
Two-way traffic was restored under the bridge in September 2021 after the footways had been permanently widened by 0.5m and 0.3m on the eastern and western sides respectively. This reduced the carriageway width to 5.7m, which was deemed “adequate for two-way traffic” subject to a 20mph speed limit being imposed.
The extents of the 20mph speed limit are from Hatchet Road at its [roundabout] junction with Sandringham Road [and Ratcliffe Drive] to its junction with Brierly Furlong and then along Brierly Furlong for a distance of 130m in a south westerly direction from its [roundabout] junction with Hatchet Road [and Church Road].
The ‘purpose of the scheme’ stated in the consultation is to:
“Make the existing temporary 20mph speed limit permanent, to help maintain the reduced traffic speeds and continue to make walking and cycling at Parkway railway bridge and the wider area safer.”
The consultation documents are available to view on the SGC website:
🔗 Stoke Gifford – Hatchet Road and Brierly Furlong – 20mph speed Limit – Statutory Notice
Responses should be made via an online questionnaire on the above webpage.
The consultation period ends at midnight on Saturday 3rd June 2023.
Related link: Public Consultations (The Journal)
Hardly anyone observes the 20mph speed limit and it’s not enforced so what’s the point…?