Buckinghamshire County Council                                This Page was last updated on 7.1.11

                                               Area 13 Speed Limit Review

Bucks County Council say YES to new speed limits in Northall and Edlesborough!  (7.1.11)

After many years of campaigning for lower and extended speed limits in Northall, culminating in the tremendous support given by Northall residents during the period of consultations last Summer, BCC have finally agreed to implement new speed limits.  And, despite the financial constraints, BCC have promised to implement all the proposals by the end of 2011.

The main changes affecting the whole of the Parish of Edlesborough are:

Village Road Location Current Speed Limit New Speed Limit Click on each of the following appropriate maps for more details
Northall A4146 Ashton Cottages (the first pair of cottages on the left hand side as one travels from Billington to Northall), past the junctions with Slapton Lane and Chapel Lane and on to the existing 40 mph at Northall National Speed Limit of 60mph Reduced to 40mph  Northall (north-west end) A4146 and Chapel Lane
Northall A4146 Existing 40 mph limit through the village 40 mph Reduced to 30 mph
Northall Chapel Lane   National Speed Limit of 60mph Reduced to 40mph
Northall South End Lane From junction with A4146 to Beacon View houses National Speed Limit of 60mph Reduced to 30 mph Northall (south-east end) A4146 to Edlesborough and South End Lane
Northall/Edlesborough A4146 From existing 40 mph limit at Northall to the 30 mph limit at Edlesborough National Speed Limit of 60mph Reduced to 40mph Edlesborough A4146 Leighton Road
Edlesborough A4146 & B489 The 4 roads approaching the 2 mini roundabouts at Travellers Rest National Speed Limit of 60mph Reduced to 40mph  Edlesborough A4146 Leighton Road/B489 Tring Road
Dagnall A4146 Entering Dagnall from both the Edlesborough and Hemel Hempstead directions 30 mph 30 mph limit extended slightly at both ends  Dagnall
Dagnall B4506 Ringshall Road National Speed Limit of 60mph Short stretch of road from roundabout towards Ringshall reduced to 30 mph

Click here for details of the BCC YES decision made on 24.12.10

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EPC's Responses to BCC

EPC's further letter of 24.5.10 to BCC asking for a 30mph speed limit for the whole of South End Lane, Northall (8.6.10)

EPC's response of 12.5.10 to BCC Consultation (8.6.10)

Final Proposals for Public Consultation (From 30.3.10 to 14.5.10)

Click on the following maps for details of the proposals:

  
Northall (north-west end) A4146 and Chapel Lane
  
Northall (south-east end) A4146 to Edlesborough and South End Lane
    Edlesborough A4146 Leighton Road
    Edlesborough A4146 Leighton Road/B489 Tring Road (Travellers Rest)
    Dagnall



Initial Proposals
(21.6.09)

For many years residents in Northall, Edlesborough and Dagnall have complained about excessive, or inappropriate, vehicle speeds in their villages.  Accordingly, this has been a key issue for Edlesborough Parish Council and much time and expense continues to be invested in seeking improvements. Indeed, those Parishioners who have attended any of the monthly EPC meetings, will know that "traffic calming" is a standing item on the agenda.

An early success was the installation of the speed camera on the A4146 near the church.  This was followed by the first dynamic speed indicator sign in Buckinghamshire being sited on the A4146 at the Leighton Buzzard end of Northall; street lights being installed in Eaton Bray Road, Northall as the precursor for the speed limit being reduced from the national limit (60mph), to 30mph; "gates" installed at various entry points to the 3 villages; flashing warning signs for the school at Dagnall;  repeater signs and road markings where ever the street lights were more than 200 yards apart; new improved signage on the A4146 throughout Northall; purchase and installation of yellow backed signs and "dragons' teeth at some entry points to villages on the A4146; and the valiant efforts of volunteers operating mobile Speed Indicating Devices (SID) seeking to make motorists aware of the speed limits.

For more than ten years Edlesborough Parish Council has lobbied Bucks County Council to reduce the speed limit on the A4146 in Northall from 40mph to 30mph; to extend that speed limit out towards Leighton Buzzard; to reduce the speed limit on the A4146 from Northall to Edlesborough; similarly on that stretch of road from Edlesborough to Travellers' Rest; and on the four roads coming into the two mini-roundabouts at Travellers' Rest.  These endeavours apparently failed because BCC concluded that the accident and injury statistics did not warrant any changes.  EPC has responded by emphasising that parishioners' desire to have the speed limits reduced were also based on improving the quality of life - to reduce traffic noise; to make it less threatening for pedestrians, especially children; to make it easier and safer for residents to take their cars in and out of their drives etc. 

As many other parish councils in Bucks felt the same way, BCC eventually agreed to carry out a systematic review of all speed limits in the county.  The county was divided into14 areas which were then prioritised according to their accident/death/injury rate.  Edlesborough Parish was placed in Area 13, which was originally scheduled to be reviewed in 2006.  Unfortunately, this review has been put back several times owing to previous areas taking longer.

Work eventually commenced on Area 13 in February 2009, and BCC's Initial Proposals were discussed at the EPC meeting held on 21.5.09.  EPC responded to BCC in its letter dated 11.6.09.  BCC will be publishing its final proposals for consultation at the end of July/early August.  Over the coming weeks, EPC will be consulting with Parishioners and discussing how they can play their part to support the proposals.  Accordingly, this matter will be featured on EPC's stand at the Carnival on Edlesborough Green, Saturday 4th July 2009.

 

Map showing initial proposals for Northall and Edlesborough

Detailed written proposals for Northall & Edlesborough

Edlesborough Parish Council letter to BCC 11.6.09