Who is in the Marnhull Traffic Calming Group?

Chair: Jo Wilkinson.

Members: Jeremy Watson, Rob Cullender, Dave Bruce, Deb Conduit, Martin Coldicott, Ros Eveleigh, Nick Gill, Jim Goldspink, Wendy Pearson, Malcolm Locke, Bill Shannon,  Linda Wheaton.

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• Narrow lanes with multiple pinch points, sharp bends and other problems. See detailed map.
• Many residential exits with limited visibility.
• Few pavements, often only on one side, mostly missing entirely. see detail here.
• A wide variety of road users including agricultural vehicles and horse riders, detailed in the next section.
• Roadside parking creating additional pinch points throughout the village.

These factors combine to make movement challenging for all road users.

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Who uses the roads in Marnhull?

Who uses the roads in Marnhull?

In recent years various members of the village have been spotted at the roadside with clipboards! These people have been collecting data on what proportion of road users are cars, pedestrians, farm vehicles etc. 

This, combined with the neighbourhood plan survey data about what people would ideally like to do were the roads less busy, help us plan for our future needs. 

It is of interest that more than one in every ten road users is a pedestrian. 

The detailed results can be found here.

The needs of wheelchair and mobility scooter users should be considered and their experiences can be found here.

You will see that horse riders are encountered on Marnhull lanes and we have heard this comment from a rider.

“Horse riders in particular are very vulnerable, and incidents involving horses can lead to serious injury, even death for riders, drivers, and animals.

The British Horse Society and the Pass Wide & Slow Campaign highlight how slower speeds help drivers safely pass horses with the recommended 2-meter distance and around 10 mph.

A 20 mph limit simply helps traffic move at a pace that suits a rural community where people and animals share the road.”

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Do cars actually drive too fast in Marnhull?

Anecdotally there is a strong view that this is the case, but obtaining evidence is less easy! 

The surveys described below refer to cars exceeding 30mph, it should be noted that there are many occasions where speeds below 30mph would be considered too fast.

Dorset Council conducted a traffic survey between 11 and 17 May, 2021, see here. This monitored vehicles from fixed points on Burton Street, Church Hill, New Street and Sodom Lane and shows a proportion of vehicles to exceed the 30 mph limit.

A traffic speed survey currently  being conducted by the Community Speed Watch Group, see the next section. From data up to 27.2.26,  5% of vehicles exceed 30mph and 1% or less exceed 36 mph, hence are eligible to be reported to the police.   Results are in chart here.

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Community Speed Watch

A new Community Speed Watch Group is operational and can be spotted at the road side in their Hi-Viz jackets.

The members are: Jo Wilkinson, Dave Bruce, Ros Eveleigh, Wendy Pearson, Jim Goldspink, Ed Binsted, Jan Binsted, Linda Wheaton.

Current data from Community Speed Watch suggests a small problem with vehicles traveling over 30mph, but the issue remains as to whether 30 mph is a safe speed for the roads in the first place.

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Traffic Calming Measures

These measures can be used individually or as a combination.

Signage

Marnhull Travel Survey concludes that ‘any change to signage must remain sensitive to the fact that overly engineered / urban solutions would damage the rural character of our area. This means that road signs, lines / road markings, lighting and other measures should be kept to the minimum to address the road safety issues, and local materials with designs sympathetic to the character of our area should be used.’ 

In addition to the use of standard signage such as ‘narrow roads’, ‘sharp bends’, ‘slow’  ’no pavement’ cautions, the following can also be used to slow traffic.

Examples of traffic slowing signage

SIDS

Dorset Council regulates Community Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) as temporary, vehicle-activated signs to manage speeds, requiring approved, risk-assessed locations (maximum 3 sites per device) and 4 to 6 week rotation periods. The risk assessment for placement has to take into account that the device is visible to approaching traffic from a sufficient distance, and it needs to be a relatively straight road in order for the radar to function accurately. Community groups must have council approval for devices, provide trained volunteers, and maintain public liability insurance. Marnhull has one device approved for Crown Road and New Street. 

Painted Road Markings

These have a role to play but in addition to road wear and tear, Marnhull is a farming village which produces a certain amount of mud and some roads are prone to flooding which can obscure markings.

− Signage, road markings or changes in surface treatment can be used to warn vehicles of hazards and pinch points, where appropriate. 

– The use of “painted pavements” where actual pavements are impossible, can be used but the road should be wide enough to take a pavement and a car.  

–  White lines to indicate the edge of the road and marking of gates at entry points.

–  ‘Gateways’ at the entrance roads to the village asking drivers to take care.

Quiet Lane Status The ‘back lanes’ such as Hains Lane / Love Lane / Chippel Lane should be considered for ‘Quiet Lane’ status, where signage / other measures are used to warn drivers of the likely presence of pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.

Humps and Chicanes are of limited use due to our road width, layout and lack of street lighting. Speed humps, unless they are in a 20mph zone, require street lighting, or the hump must be specially lit. There needs to be appropriate road signage indicating its presence, it needs to be clearly visible to vehicles and pedestrians, often through use of white paint and reflectors.

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Speed restriction to 20mph 

Aside from the B3092, the roads in Marnhull currently carry a 30 mph speed limit. Reducing this to 20 mph could have benefits, but it might bring disadvantages too. 

PROs

Improved Safety

• Lower speeds mean fewer and less severe collisions. Data from the Welsh government shows how the 20mph default speed limit on built-up roads has meant 882 (25%) fewer casualties in the first 18 month, such that ‘Esure’ Insurance group reduced its premiums for Welsh drivers. 
• Pedestrians/cyclists are far more likely to survive an accident at 20mph.
• Drivers have more reaction time.
• 20mph limits can actually shorten journey times, rather than making them longer.  Research from Milan confirms 30 km/h (18.5 mph) as the optimal speed limit for minimising delays through traffic congestion. 

Encourages Walking & Cycling

• Slower traffic feels safer and more pleasant. (Lucerne, Switzerland describes how 30km/h affects quality of life (better), noise (less), road safety (increased), air quality (improved), travel time (little difference), road capacity (helps) and neighbourhoods (nicer).)
• Supports a healthier community.

Community Benefits

• Calmer roads create a more sociable atmosphere.
• Lower limits may reduce through traffic.

Environmental Benefits

• Smoother driving may improve air quality.

• Reduced noise.

What is the process to establish a 20mph limit?

An application for a reduction in speed limit is made to Dorset Council by the Parish Council, including a map of the exact roads where the restriction is intended.  The process is described here https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/process-for-assessing-a-20-mph-limit-or-zone

The Marnhull Traffic Calming Group have suggested that all roads enclosed by the Marnhull village signs on entry to the village, with the exception of the B3092 should be considered in an application, as shown here.

However, it must be understood that this is only a request and other bodies may well reduce the zone.

A key factor that would be taken into account by Dorset Council in any decisions on local speed limits is whether there is significant community support; HENCE THE JUNE VOTE!

The Dorset Council will also look at  –

• history of collisions (Relevant injury collision data recorded by the police.  Latest available five year period to be used.) 
• the council encourages self-reporting of damage only/near miss collision via ‘report a collision online’ form. This criterion is currently paused but we would encourage you to report regardless. The reporting web page is found here.
• road geometry and engineering 
• road function
• composition of road users (including existing and potential levels of vulnerable road users) (see ‘Who actually uses the roads in Marnhull’/census data)
• existing traffic speeds (The formal view from Dorset Police is required on any scheme). The application is helped if an active Community Speed Watch team is in place for at least 12 months. This is to demonstrate a clear commitment from within the community.

• road environment  (whether in a conservation area, deprived area or whether there is considered to be potential for active travel, especially to schools.)

The council will also consider where existing mean speeds provide a realistic opportunity for compliance: DfT guidance states that 20mph schemes should be self-enforcing. If the mean speed is already at or below 24mph, introducing a 20mph speed limit through signing alone is likely to lead to general compliance with the new speed limit. This means that speeds above 24mph are likely to require additional traffic management or enforcement measures. The criteria considered are listed here.

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Summary

Many residents in Marnhull are concerned by the speed of traffic through the village. One measure that could help reduce this would be the implementation of a 20 mph limit.  This would only occur if there was significant local support.

In order to gauge this there will be a vote held in June.

Voting can be on paper (ballot sheets distributed in the Marnhull Messenger and will be available in the shops) or online (link will be shared on village Facbook page, Parish council website, Marnhull Traffic Calming Group Website.)

The question proposed will be: 

“Do you support lowering the speed limit to 20mph on the roads through the centre of Marnhull (excluding the B3092)? – Yes/No”

TAKE YOUR TIME, MAKE YOUR MIND UP, BE READY FOR THE JUNE VOTE.