Speed management has a double edged impetus. Both the Speed Kills and Eco lobbies put forward arguments that Politicians are too afraid to criticise. Hence the restrictions being introduced.
I wish Planners would do the same!
Our road system has been tinkered with over the years to try and cope with higher volume. It has, inmost cases, been compromises with too narrow a view of impact. New bypass, motorway will attract traffic but the feeder areas are changed to rat runs and congestion hotspots.
The M4 at Port Talbot ,raised section above the houses, has always been a 50 zone due to noise issues raised at concept. It is approached by traffic at 70 which then gets compressed, added to by the stupid slip roads, speed cameras. It was part of my commute and in the evening you would be on stop on it. A bloody motorway designed to bypass the town to aid traffic flow where the norm is being stationary! The zone has been extended West to Llandarcy over the Briton Ferry bridges and average speed cameras replacing the fixed. The slip roads remain. Locals objected to closing them as they wanted to hop on then off to cross town. Effectively using a by pass as a rat run. My evening return commute took at least 30 mins more . 1 hour in morning to 90 mins minimum in evening, that stretch being the cause.
Locally there have been housing projects that feed extra traffic into a solitary, narrow road. Poor traffic lights stopping flow, school runs causing even more congestion. There are more houses being built to add to the problem.even using local knowledge fails at peak times. There is no option to do a major road replacement to ease congestion. During lockdown there was a huge improvement in air pollution as the road was clear.
The solutions that are proposed are paying lip service to the Speed/Eco lobbies whilst penalising the transport sector.
Last edited by sospan; 13/09/20 10:14 AM.
