Saddleworth councillors voice disagreement over lower speed limits

SADDLEWORTH councillors have clashed over how fast cars may be allowed to travel through the area.

Liberal Democrat Mark Kenyon called on Oldham’s borough authority to establish a working party to seek to implement a council-wide 20mph speed limit on residential roads.

He also asked chief executive Harry Catherall to write to the leaders of others in the region that have not already implemented such limits and to request to Highways England that speeds are reduced on sections of the motorway network to tackle pollution.

However, Conservative Luke Lancaster believes a lack of public support and the costs of bringing in such a limit would mean it would not succeed.

Saddleworth West and Lees Cllr Kenyon, who insisted it was not asking for a blanket or a default limit on all roads, suggested Oldham Council should also explore enforcement measures such as average speed cameras and Community Speedwatch initiatives.

He said: “I make no apology for asking and if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

“Speeding traffic is a daily occurrence and is a huge source of stress to many and makes people’s lives a misery.

“To state the obvious, speeding traffic kills and we have the power to start the process of starting a 20moh limit right now.

“I’m frankly tired of the vocal minority who see any attempt to curb the rights of the car user and paint it somehow as an assault on individual liberty.”

To support his call, Cllr Kenyon pointed out speed limits on Britain’s roads are 60 per cent higher than in Europe and a pedestrian is seven times more likely to die if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph than they are at 20mph, rising to 10 times more likely if aged 60 or older.

Reducing air pollution and the fact more than 20 million people live in local authorities which have adopted or are adopting a default speed limit of 20mph on residential roads were also put forward.

However, Saddleworth North Cllr Lancaster, while not disputing speed is an issue, believed a different approach is needed.

He said while tabling an amendment which was voted down: “Excess speeds and the associated dangers posed by those irresponsible motorists, need to be addressed with a strong response.

“20mph speed limits can be an effective tool. As we have accepted, they reduce the incident of accidents, and the number of fatalities and serious injuries that occur.

“Indeed, where targeted 20mph zones have arisen in my own ward, such as the existing scheme covering Dobcross and that proposed for Denshaw village, I have been supportive and forthright in asking for their strengthening.

“However, I am sceptical the proposal for default 20mph limits is a popular one and if such a proposal was confirmed in our borough, it could be subject to great local opposition.

“If we are to approve such a radical programme of highways reforms, we need to be confident that we are representing our residents.

“Otherwise, this could be widely perceived as a punitive and arbitrary restriction, made without consent, and the degree of driving disobedience may be significant.

“Uniform reductions to 20mph risk unfair additions to journey times. None of us appreciate being behind the wheel for longer than necessary.

“Furthermore, there is the public pursue to protect – how much would the introduction of default 20mph limits cost taxpayers?”

Cllr Lancaster’s colleague, Cllr Pam Byrne, added: “This is a sensible amendment. I’ve regularly stood up to request we reduce speed limits, especially on rural roads.

“The council has the power to do this, but probably not the will nor the finance.”

The ruling Labour group suggested looking at areas where a limit could be trialled for 18 months and Cllr Kenyon’s motion, with the amendment to ensure working towards a limit was ‘practical,’ was voted through.