Dramatic reduction in speed limit on major route into Preston through South Ribble

The dual carriageway section of the A59 in South Ribble between Little Hoole and Longton - known as the Longton Bypass - will see maximum speeds cut from the current 70 miles-per-hour (mph) down to 50mph.

A 50mph limit will also be introduced on a stretch of the route further south - where the A59 becomes a single carriageway between Much Hoole and Bretherton - a reduction from the 60mph top speed permitted at present.

Lancashire County Council says that the move will improve safety, but one parish councillor said he was “flabbergasted” by the plan.

The changes - which the Lancashire Post understands are likely to come into force later this year - mean that 50mph will be the maximum speed on a seven-mile approach to Preston through South Ribble.

That includes the short section of the Longton Bypass outside Lancashire Police headquarters at Hutton - which was reduced to 50mph more than five years ago - the Penwortham Bypass/John Horrocks Way, which has been subject to a 50mph limit since it opened in late 2019, and Golden Way through to just before its junction with Leyland Road.

The current 40mph limit on the A59 Liverpool Road, between the Anchor Service Station and the start of the Penwortham Bypass - which is itself reduced to 30mph at school drop-off and pick-up times - will be unaltered.

Laurence Dryden, chair of Little Hoole Parish Council, told the Post that the forthcoming reduction in the speed limit on the Longton Bypass was a “ludicrous” idea - and would not deter those drivers who pose the biggest danger on the route.

“It’s a dual carriageway, with no houses on, so I’m just not sure what the purpose would be to draw it down to 50mph.

“Are [they] just reducing speed because they want to - or is there a reason? I’ve been here for 12 years and not known an accident.

“There is an issue with motorbikes and a couple of cars that scream down the section [between the Gill Lane and Liverpool Road roundabouts] most nights - they are probably doing 100mph.

“But my argument has always been that if you get a few speeders who are way over the limit anyway, they aren't going to slow down [because you reduce it] - why would they? You’re just reducing everybody else’s speed for the sake of them.” Cllr Dryden said.

He added that, in contrast, the parish authority had had to fight “for years” in order to secure a cut in the limit on Gill Lane to the west of the bypass, which is now going to be introduced as part of the changes on the A59 and will see the current maximum speed reduced from 60mph to 40mph in order to make the subsequent drop to 20mph at the entrance to Walmer Bridge a less dramatic one.

Cllr Dryden said that the county council and police should now focus enforcing that latter limit on Liverpool Old Road in the village, where he said evidence from the parish’s speed indicator device showed that it was regularly being flouted.

“They're travelling too fast - it’s 20mph and [some people] are doing 40. When I looked at the speed data, it was ridiculous - we had one vehicle travelling at 70mph in the morning.

“It’s just waiting for someone to get killed. So we keep complaining - but then [find out that] the priority is to take a normal dual carriageway road and bring the speed down [there]."

Papers presented to a meeting of Lancashire County Council's cabinet last month - at which the changes were agreed with little discussion - reveal that the reduced limits were considered after concerns were raised about traffic speeds along parts of the A59 passing through Chorley and South Ribble.

Currently, the so-called “national speed limit” for non-built-up areas applies on much of the Longton Bypass and Liverpool Road between Longton and Bretherton - meaning that cars and motorbikes can travel at 70mph on the dual carriageway stretches and 60mph on the single carriageway sections.

Cabinet members were told that speed limits “should, in the main, be self-enforcing - that is, set to a speed at which most drivers travel…and under a limit where police are required to take enforcement action”.

According to the county council’s road safety team, data shows that 85 percent of traffic currently travels at 64mph or less on parts of the Longton Bypass.

The new 50mph limit was the subject of a public consultation earlier this year, which drew four objections - including one from Little Hoole Parish Council.

Other objectors claimed that the vast majority of drivers using the Longton Bypass already undershot the 70mph maximum speed. However, it was suggested that a downward shift to 50mph could see the new limit exceeded by around a third of drivers - either unintentionally or because they felt that they were being forced to travel too slowly for the type of the road that they were on.

That risked creating “a problem [with] speeding that didn't exist before”, the objector said.

Others posited that the road had a good safety record and warned that a lower limit would lead to driver “frustration”.

According to the CrashMap website, there have been a dozen slight accidents and one serious collision on the Longton Bypass in the last five years.

Lancashire Police supported the now agreed changes, as did two consultation responders, one of whom cited the dangers of four lanes of traffic moving at 70mph close to the pedestrian island near the junction with Drumacre Lane.

Elsewhere on the A59, the county council has decided to make permanent a 40mph limit introduced on a temporary basis to protect the weakened Bank Bridge in Tarleton.

Meanwhile, in the same vicinity, a new 40mph limit will be introduced on the approaches to the recently-opened Aldi store at the junction of the A59 and A565 - affecting Windgate, Liverpool Road and Southport New Road.

LOWER LIMITS NEEDED BECAUSE AREAS ARE “MORE BUILT-UP”

Commenting on the raft of reduced limits along the A59 and nearby side roads, County Cllr Rob Bailey - lead member for highways and active travel - said that the changes were intended to make the routes “more suitable for the character of these areas, as they have become more built-up - and ensure the legal orders are in place to allow the speed limits to be enforced by the police”.

He added: "The reason for reviewing the speed limits is that we had received concerns about speeding on the A59 between Longton and Bretherton and, upon checking the traffic regulation orders in place which allow the speed limits to be enforced, found a number of historical inconsistencies.

"As part of the process of reviewing the orders, we considered whether the existing speed limits were suitable, given the development alongside the A59 over recent years, and concerns about speeding.

“We carried out a public consultation on proposals to change and clarify some of the speed limits, with the responses received being considered by cabinet.

"We work closely with the police to ensure safety on our roads and these changes to speed limits will help to encourage more suitable traffic speeds - and ensure that we are well placed to respond to community concerns about speeding."

Meanwhile, cabinet papers reveal that Lancashire Police recently advised the county council that 60mph signs that were put in place on the section of the A59 known as Northway, in Aughton - on the Merseyside border - back in 1994 had never been removed, in spite of the fact that the temporary traffic order that was introduced at the time had since lapsed.

The constabulary has requested a new order be drawn up so that they can enforce the signed limit, which is still considered appropriate for the route.

Separately, the force told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it had not carried out speed enforcement activity on that or any section of the A59 that was part of the changes proposed by the county council and where orders were having to be introduced to reflect the signage as it exists.

On the reduction in limits along several stretches of the route, a spokesperson for the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership said: “Road safety in Lancashire is always a priority for us, as speeding can have devastating consequences.

“Sadly, we have seen an increase in some people driving at excessive speeds, potentially putting themselves and others at risk. No matter how quiet the roads are, the speed limit still applies.

“We will continue to act on [the] concerns our communities raise and we will work tirelessly to target those who think they can use the roads as their own personal racetrack.”

SLOWER SPEEDS ELSEWHERE

Other changes to limits agreed by Lancashire County Council’s cabinet include:

Black Moor Road, Mawdesley - the introduction of a 40mph limit in order to reduce vehicle speeds on the approach to the existing 30mph section and also to align the route more closely with the 30mph limits on surrounding access roads to residential areas.