Some of Calderdale's rural speed limits 'nonsensical' claim worried councillors

National speed limits on some routes are among roads concerning Calderdale councillors.

Coun Katie Kimber (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said speeding caused huge issues in rural wards like hers and finding the right places to place monitoring equipment was sometimes a struggle.

And Coun Dan Wood (Green, Northowram and Shelf) wondered what could be done about reckless driving on rural roads, with speed limits set before areas became more residential with more people around.

It left the national speed limit on some roads which have since become residential streets.

“New development is not taken into account,” he said.

Coun Dot Foster (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said speed limits were also that, a limit, not a target.

Some of these limits were nonsensical and “completely inappropriate for places where they are,” she said.

It is frustrating the hurdles councils have to go through to get traffic regulation orders to change them, added Coun Foster.

Councillors were debating support for Vision Zero – a West Yorkshire-wide campaign which has a goal of reducing numbers of deaths and serious accidents on the region’s roads.

Coun Foster said: “Vision Zero is that deaths are preventable and we should be looking at previous accidents, not reacting to deaths but preventing them.”

The council’s Place Scrutiny Board was discussing a number of issues related to road safety, including Vision Zero.

The council’s deputy leader, Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) leads the council’s Vision Zero working group.