Dear Petitioner

Thank you for presenting this petition.

I understand that through the Colchester Local Highways Panel (LHP) a 40mph buffer on Newbridge Road, Layer Marney/Tiptree this was considered under LCOL232023. Based upon the recorded speeds, traffic is already travelling below 40mph and given the absence of high-speed traffic approaching the village, along with limited outlaying properties; the location and the requested 40mph buffer do not meet the requirements under the Essex Speed Management Strategy.  

In terms of speed enforcement by the Police, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) previously issued speed enforcement guidance, which suggested that enforcement action would normally occur when a driver exceeded the speed limit by a particular margin. The suggested margin was normally 10 percent over the speed limit plus 2mph. It also issued guidelines for when it is not appropriate to issues a fixed penalty notice but to issues a summons. For a 30mph speed limit the ACPO charging threshold would be 35mph and for a Summons 50mph. These would be guidelines only and a Police Officer always has discretion to act outside of them providing they act fairly, consistently, and proportionately. As such based upon the mean average speeds for the recent automatic traffic counts of 35.5mph to 37.7mph (in a 60mph speed limit), these would exceed the intervention level for a 30mph.

We have also reviewed Traffweb, which displays information based upon statistics supplied by the Police about road traffic collisions that have resulted in injuries. Our Road Safety Engineering team conduct an annual review of road collisions across the Essex Network and as part of their review, accident collision cluster sites are analysed on the basis of 3 or more personal injury collisions within a 250m radius, with a minimum of one fatal or serious injury collision within the last 3 full calendar years. There would not appear to be a pattern of accidents along Newbridge Road which would currently warrant intervention by our Road Safety Engineering team.

I appreciate this is not the response you and your fellow petitioners were hoping for but would like to thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns.

Kind regards