Speed limit in Hoghton to come under scrutiny

A 50mph speed limit on a road in Hoghton which has seen six car crashes in the last five years could be reduced to 40mph.
Yvonne Hargreaves with Steve Boardman in Hoghton LaneYvonne Hargreaves with Steve Boardman in Hoghton Lane
Yvonne Hargreaves with Steve Boardman in Hoghton Lane

Lancashire County Council has agreed to launch a public consultation to see the speed limit reduced by five per cent in Hoghton Lane.

Resident Steve Boardman, who lives on a bend in a 50mph section of the road with poor visibility, says a serious crash is just waiting to happen.

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In the Spring he had canvassed the other residents on his strip of Hoghton Lane collecting about 50 signatures for a petition to see the speed limit reduced to 30mph.

The bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safetyThe bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safety
The bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safety

“Many of the residents I spoke to were elderly and are really scared of the road and of going out to the green opposite because cars are regularly speed up to 70mph,” he said.

The five-mile stretch of road in question lies between the boundaries of South Ribble borough and Blackburn and Darwen borough.

It currently has a number of different speed limits.

Councillors at Hoghton Parish Council have been trying to get the speed limit brought down to 30mph for the best part of 40 years but their requests have previously been declined by LCC.

The bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safetyThe bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safety
The bend in the road at Hoghton Lane which is currently 50 mph-immediately after the bend are residents who find it difficult to enter the road from their driveways because of speeding traffic and safety
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Although Steve’s petition gained some traction it was still rejected so he contacted Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle who has since managed to get the county’s authority to agree to a public consultation on the matter.

A spokesman for LCC said: “We are considering a proposal to reduce the speed limit on parts of Hoghton Lane to 40mph and are working towards carrying out public consultation in Spring 2017.”

Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle welcomed the consultation. He said: “For too long constituents have worried about the dangers of this bend, the simple truth is that people drive too fast on this stretch and it is putting lives in danger.

“I’m glad that the county council has listened and that action is going to be taken.

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“We need a reduced speed limit and then it needs to be enforced and I call on all authorities, including the police to make sure this happens.”

Clerk at Hoghton Parish Council Tony Harkness said: “As a parish council we are very pleased that there is a suggestion that the speed limit could be reduced.”

The consultation is set to launch in the Spring and go on for six weeks.