Fresh calls for Lincoln Road speed limit to be lowered

Town councillors have renewed pleas for a speed limit cut on Lincoln Road, Newark, from 40mph to 30mph.

Members of Newark Town Council told Jo Horton, Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways manager for the area, that more needed to be done to protect pedestrians on Lincoln Road.

It comes after a 14-year-old boy was involved in a collision with a Mini near the Co-op as he crossed the road and suffered minor injuries in September.

Jo Horton told the councillors that budget constraints allowed for one speed reduction in the whole of Newark and Sherwood a year.

Mrs Irene Brown said: “How much is a life worth on the road?

“There is a lot of support locally to reduce the speed limit on Lincoln Road.

“There are three shops before you get to the bridge, and four after it and people find it difficult to cross the road.

“I appreciate there is only a set amount of money but it has been a long time in coming.”

'We need to look at the places where there is a history of problems'

Jo Horton said the main issue with bringing about a change was the lack of funding available to the county council highways department.

“At the moment we have about enough funding to reduce one speed limit in the Newark and Sherwood area every year,” she said.

“We must all understand any reduction has to go through consultation and there has to be an assessment, all of which costs a lot of money.”

She said the main focus of any changes was centred around a pattern of serious incidents located in a certain area.

“We need to look at the places where there is a history of problems rather than an accident waiting to happen,” she said.

“You also have to be sure the accident is related to speed. If a child runs behind a parked vehicle that’s not a speed-related issue.

“We could change it from 40mph to 30mph but what can often happen is without enforcement that has a minimal effect.

“If people are speeding in a built-up area they will have little regard for a new limit.”

Mrs Brown asked if they could introduce speed cameras, similar to those on London Road.

Jo Horton said: “Cameras are generally only put in places where there has been a fatal accident. On London Road there was a fatal accident and also a serious injury pattern over a period of time.”