Report to:	Lead Member for Transport and Environment
Date of meeting:	23 September 2024
By:	Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
Title:	Petition to reduce the speed limit on Wellbrook Hill to 40 miles per hour to ensure the safety of road users and pedestrians.
Purpose:	To consider the petition requesting a 40 miles per hour speed limit on the A267 Wellbrook Hill.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:

(1) As part of the 3-year Speed Management Programme on A and B-class roads, the A267 Wellbrook Hill will be assessed for a lower speed limit; and

(2) If a lower speed limit is appropriate and the site is identified as a priority, it will be progressed as part of this programme. The prioritisation process will be undertaken during Autumn 2024 and once completed a list of the selected sites will be added to the Road Safety section of the County Council website.  

1 Background Information

1.1 At the County Council meeting on 7 May 2024, Councillor Cross presented a petition to the Chairman of the Council. The petition states: “In order to ensure the safety of road users and pedestrians, we the undersigned ask for the speed limit of Wellbrook Hill to be reduced to 40 miles per hour immediately”. A Location Plan is provided in Appendix 1.

1.2      Standing Orders provide that where the Chairman considers it appropriate, petitions are considered by the relevant Committee or Lead Member and a spokesperson for the petitioners is invited to address the Committee.  The Chairman has referred this petition to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment. A copy of the petition is available in the Members’ Room. 

2 Supporting Information

2.1 The A267 Wellbrook Hill is approximately a 2.2-kilometre-long section of road that is subject to a 50mph speed limit. There is a 30mph speed limit in the village of Five Ashes to the southwest and a 60mph national speed limit to the northeast near Mayfield roundabout. The extent of the existing speed limits on this part of the A267 are shown in Appendix 2.

2.2 The predominant factors considered when determining an appropriate speed limit are the level of frontage development that is visible to drivers, and the average speed of the traffic. Policy PS05/02 Local Speed Limits is based on national guidance issued by the Department for Transport and indicates that 40mph speed limits can be considered in less built-up areas, with set-back properties and frontage accesses indicating to drivers the need to reduce their speed, with existing mean speeds of 42mph or below. The speed surveys undertaken on the A267 Wellbrook Hill would indicate that a 40mph speed limit may be acceptable in principle. A copy of policy PS05/02 is provided in Appendix 3.

2.3  Four speed surveys were carried out on the A267. The location of the speed surveys and a summary of the results is indicated in Appendix 4. Copies of the speed surveys are available in the Members’ Room and can be provided on request

2.4 There have been 6 personal injury crashes (PIC’s) reported to the Police within the extent of the existing 50mph speed limit during the period 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2024.  The location and severity of the injury crashes is shown in Appendix 5.

2.5 Funding of £500,000 from the Capital Programme has been allocated to the Road Safety Team to develop and implement a Speed Management Programme. As part of the programme, a driven assessment has been completed to identify lengths of the A and B-class road network that would possibly benefit from a reduced speed limit. The Road Safety Team are currently assessing the findings from this analysis alongside speed data and new in-vehicle telematics.

2.6 The request for a 40mph speed limit on the on the A267 Wellbrook Hill will be assessed as part of the Speed Management Programme. If a lower speed limit is appropriate and the site is identified as a priority, it will be progressed as part of this programme. The prioritisation process will be undertaken during Autumn 2024 and once completed, a list of the selected sites will be added to the Road Safety section of the County Council website. 

2.7  If the A267 Wellbrook Hill is not identified as a priority as part of the Speed Management Programme, the Road Safety Team will contact the Parish Council to explore if they may consider progressing a scheme as part of a Community Match application.

3          Conclusion and Reasons for Recommendations

3.1       The A267 Wellbrook Hill will be assessed as part of the Speed Management Programme in accordance with policy PS05/02 Local Speed Limits for a lower speed limit.

3.2       The prioritisation process will be undertaken during Autumn 2024, at which point, Mayfield Parish Council will be made aware of any potential changes to the speed limits on the A and B class roads within the Parish as well as for the A267 Wellbrook Hill.

RUPERT CLUBB

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Contact Officer: Thomas Niner
Tel. 07708 107281

Email: thomas.niner@eastsussex.gov.uk

LOCAL MEMBER:

Councillor Anne Cross

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:

None