SEKHEMKA - a Borough asset sold for £14million to fill a hole in the Tories budget
Jill Hope
Northamptonshire County Councillor for Sixfields - a Lib Dem campaigner working all year round, not just at election time Learn more
PARKING CHARGES: Labour fail to support residents in St James
Old Bus Station - What a disaster
SEKHEMKA - a Borough asset sold for £14million to fill a hole in the Tories budget
PARKING CHARGES: Labour fail to support residents in St James
Old Bus Station - What a disaster
Danes Camp Way – Speed limit to be cut after years of campaigning
by Jill Hope on 8 January, 2012
I’m pleased to hear that the county council will be cutting the speed limit from the current 70mph to 50mph. This will apply to the entire length of Danes Camp Way from the Mereway roundabout to its junction with Upton Way and the A43 towards the M1 and Towcester.
It’s not before time – there are three dangerous junctions on this road, first at the roundabout with Hunsbury Hill Road, where many near misses have been reported to your FOCUS team over the years.
Next the junction with Ladybridge Drive, where the poor lighting on the junction makes accessing the slip road even more dangerous than before. Traffic trying to join Danes Camp Way from Ladybridge Drive has always had to play ‘Russian Roulette’ with cars hurtling down the hill towards them at 70mph. If you join the dual carriageway from Ladybridge Drive and want to get across to the right hand lane to turn right at the roundabout at the bottom of the hill you have to cross 4 lanes of traffic, with cars coming up fast behind you – not an easy manouevre.
There’s a third junction with Rothersthorpe Road. This carries a lot of slow vehicles from the industrial area in Far Cotton which then meet accelerating traffic from the Hunsbury Hill roundabout.
Finally, the roundabout itself with Upton Way is a difficult one with lots of traffic changing lanes at the last minute.
Your former Lib Dem councillors have asked for this speed limit reduction repeatedly. It is good to see that years and years of nagging finally paid off. Let’s hope the revised speed limit will be enforced, once the ‘settling down’ period is over.
1 Comment
I am personally somewhat bemused by the amount of speed reduction going on around our town. This is not because of some awful event which was totally avoidable or, several awful events but as a result of some people apparently finding it difficult to negotiate traffic! If we are going to reduce the speed limit for every possible accident blackspot then let’s reduce the M1 down to 50 then because going on to that at junction 15a is really hazardous especially when there are other vehicles around.
This town has just about every major route now down to either 40 or 50mph and it’s getting stupid! I am not advocating we wait for a serious accident more than we appreciate that we cannot and should not legislate for every incapable driver on the road. Far better if one feels intimidated coming on to a major road to obtain some further driving experience in a safe area for them than legislate to slow down a great many other busy people. I sometimes wait an age to get out of my turning, I don’t propose to have the 40mph limit reduced to make it easier for me, it’s up to me to time it right and pull out safely.
Maybe NCC has a responsibility to put in place traffic lights or footbridges for pedestrians but handing out speeding reductions like this is just plain bad for the town. If I came into the place as a prospective business man I’d think these speed limits were a joke. If need be, do what some other countries do, have speed reductions at busier times of day. This change will mean someone travelling effectively on their own at night on the road doing 50mph where there is no known risk at all to them or anyone else. It’s sledgehammer law making.
On another note, if this is meant to be balanced, where is the link for objections or approvals on NCC website because I cannot find anything?