I am a resident living along the A137, a road that connects Garden City to Colchester. This road has an unusual speed limit anomaly that poses a risk to our community. Between the end of Garden City, where the speed limit is 40mph, it suddenly increases to 60mph for a short stretch of only 0.4 mile until it reaches the junction of Bargate Lane/Tile Barn Lane. Here, it reverts back to 40mph and remains so all the way to Colchester (except for Ardleigh itself which is 30mph).
This inconsistency not only confuses drivers but also encourages speeding on this brief stretch of road - despite its length being so short. This puts pedestrians and other road users at risk.
Speeding contributes significantly to traffic accidents in Britain; according to Department for Transport statistics, speeding was reported as a contributory factor in 17% of fatal accidents in Great Britain in 2019.
We urge local authorities and transportation officials responsible for setting these limits to standardize them across this section of A137. By doing so, we can improve safety on our roads by reducing confusion and discouraging reckless driving behaviours.
Please sign this petition if you believe in making our roads safer by addressing such inconsistencies within our traffic system.