Speed Survey Needed on Essex Road

Essex County Council has agreed that a speed survey is necessary on a road in Basildon that is regularly used as a shortcut. Dry Street is over 1km long and is often used by drivers as a cut-through to the nearby A13 Stanford-le-Hope By-pass. Dry Street also has the Basildon University Hospital at one end, so sees a large volume of traffic during the day.

Speed survey for 30mph limit

The speed of traffic on the narrow road was blamed for the death of a local man earlier this year, and local people campaigned at that time to change the speed limit to 30mph throughout the length of the lane, which was mostly regulated at the national speed limit. The council reduced the speed limit to 40mph, which it had planned to do before the fatal accident, and had originally said that it would not revisit the limit until the new 40mph restrictions had time to ‘bed in’.

Residents believe that 40mph is still too fast given the amount of traffic and the width of the road, and some have said they would like to reduce the speed to as little as 20mph, but accept that 30mph is probably the most likely outcome. The council agreed to carry out the speed survey during October 2013, and has said it will be in close consultation with the local police force over improving safety on the road and enforcing the new limit, if introduced.

What is a speed survey?

A speed survey typically uses a standard speed gun to record the speed of vehicles on a given stretch of road. For a long road, data may be collected at several points. Vehicles are surveyed in both directions to give a complete overview of road use, and the data gathered from the survey is then analysed and reported so that informed decisions can be taken.

Speed surveys from RDS

At Road Data Services, we are experienced in speed surveys, handling everything from the planning of the survey to its execution and reporting. We can use a single surveyor or supply a team for bigger areas, and we can also implement an automatic traffic count survey which gives a much bigger, more informed picture of road usage and speed.

To find out more, just contact us today for a chat or to arrange a survey.

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