Campaigners ‘jubilant’ as problematic road speed limits to go from 60mph to 20-30

A clampdown on driving speeds is due to take place in Wokingham and its surrounding towns and villages that could see speed limits reduced to 20mph.

Wokingham Borough Council is currently conducting a review into speed limits on roads it manages, which includes the town, its surrounding villages and Woodley and Earley.

A draft of the council’s Speed Limit Review mentions Quiet Ways, which are described as roads with low traffic that could be eligible for speed limit reductions to 30mph and 20mph.

These reductions have been justified as they could reduce collisions by 40 per cent, according to the council’s predictions.

The potential change was welcomed by Simon Chapman, a neighbour who submitted a question to the council.

Mr Chapman stated: “I commend the team for this thorough, thoughtful and long-awaited draft Speed Limits Review.

“The proposed introduction of Quiet Ways will be warmly welcomed by rural and semi-rural communities where pedestrians are often forced to walk on a narrow carriageway.

“Could you please clarify the meaning of ‘low traffic volume’ insofar as it relates to the qualification criteria for Quiet Way designation?

“And would it not be sensible to automatically grant Quiet Way designation to all narrow lanes without footways where pedestrians must walk in the carriageway?”

The question was answered by councillor Marc Brunel-Walker, the chair of the council’s community and corporate overview and scrutiny committee.

Low traffic volume streets for Quiet Ways designation are defined as those roads with no more than 1,000 vehicle movements per day in rural areas and 2,000 to 2,500 vehicle movements per day in semi-rural areas.

On the prospect of automatic Quiet Way designation for roads without pavements, Cllr Brunel-Walker (Liberal Democrats, Wokingham Without) said: “The Council acknowledges that such routes are clear priorities for assessment.

“However, automatic designation is not always appropriate, as some of these roads may still experience higher traffic volumes or speeds, particularly where they function as through routes.

The proposed approach is therefore to treat all narrow, no-footway lanes as priority candidates for Quiet Way assessment. Designation will be confirmed where the appropriate criteria is met.

“This ensures that the Quiet Way network remains safe, credible, and aligned with national best practice.

“Of course, a road not being suitable for a Quiet Way does not preclude it from being considered for a lower speed, in line with the wider objectives of the policy.”

The question and answer were read out by Cllr Brunel-Walker at the meeting of the community and corporate overview and scrutiny committee on October 29.

Campaigner Mr Chapman noted that the Quiet Way designation could see current problematic roads with a 60mph limit (the national speed limit for single carriageways) halved to 30mph.

Mr Chapman, who lives in Scarletts Lane, said residents in Kiln Green and Hare Hatch are ‘jubilant’ that that their ‘long campaign for sensible speed limits’ in the borough’s narrow rural lanes ‘has finally been answered.’

He believes the new policy will ‘transform the lives of many people’.

Moreover, the introduction of 20mph speed limits in some places could see speed limits electively introduced in areas with higher numbers of vulnerable road users, shopping streets, and near schools, Mr Chapman believes.