Please help make the Wellsway (B3116) in Keynsham safer for all road users and local residents by signing our petition.

We the undersigned, call on Bathnes Councillors and Highways Department to improve road safety on Wellsway by:

• Reducing the speed limit to 30mph up to the 'Welcome to Keynsham' sign
• Installing flashing signs to alert motorists to the 30mph limit
• Installing pavement from Uplands to Courtenay Road to enable pedestrians to access the Uplands Byway which joins the Chew Valley walking routes

Why reduce the speed limit? 

The bend at Uplands has very restricted visibility, and often catches motorists by surprise, resulting in a number of accidents in recent years. Given the proximity of houses to the road, it is not possible to improve visibility and therefore reducing speed is the safest option.

Properties on both sides of the road have hidden entrances with restricted visibility, forcing residents to essentially block the road in order to pull out. This section of the road has seen an increased number of families with young children move into newly developed properties in recent years, and the current speed limit of 40mph is no longer appropriate for the volume of traffic entering and leaving these properties.

Furthermore, Wellsway is extremely popular with cyclists, and motorists aiming to drive at 40mph often attempt to overtake them on this blind bend. It is only a matter of time before this causes a serious accident.

Section 6.3 point 109 of Government Guidance for Setting Local Speed Limits states:

'Roads suitable for 40 mph are generally higher-quality suburban roads [...] where there is little development. They should have good width and layout [...] and buildings set back from the road. 

These roads should, wherever possible, cater for the needs of non-motorised road users through segregation of road space, and have adequate footways and crossing places.'

This section of Wellsway does not have good width and layout, buildings are not set back from the road, and there is no segregation of road space, footway or crossing spaces. Despite this, Bathnes Highways Department have argued that 'this length of the Wellsway is rural in nature and does not lend itself to a 30mph speed limit,' and have declined to visit the site to discuss concerns with local residents. They currently plan to reduce the limit to 30mph only to the Homestead - this will effectively make the situation worse as motorists will still be accelerating out of the 30mph section by the time they reach the blind bend at Uplands. 

"...if you hit a child at 30mph they have an 80% chance of living, but if you hit them at 40mph they have an 80% chance of dying."  (Think! campaign 2009).

People are precious and irreplaceable. Please don't ignore this issue only to implement changes once a life has been lost.

Please support us by signing this petition. Thank you.

Keynsham Road Safety Campaign