ePetition details

Speed Reduction for Smithy Lane, Brindle, Chorley

We, the undersigned, petition the county council to reduce the speed limit on Smithy Lane, Brindle (PR6 8ND to PR6 8NN) as the national speed limit is no longer fit for purpose. This is a single track lane with blind bends and a high volume of traffic. Reduce the speed limit to 20 MPH to protect safety and the lives of Lancashire Citizens and animals (dogs, horses etc) before a fatality and serious incident arises. .

Several accidents & numerous near misses have occurred but not reported, masking the severity of the situation and the dangers to citizens.
The unlit lane on the single track part of Smithy Lane currently has a 60 MPH speed limit on single track lane that has blind bends

This ePetition ran from 22/11/2019 to 08/05/2020 and has now finished.

103 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

The setting of local speed limits is evidence-led and represents the characteristics of the surrounding area. This in turn helps drivers assess what is a safe speed to travel, and encourages self-compliance.

The national speed limit section on Smithy Lane reflects the rural characteristics of the surrounding area with reduced residential and commercial aspects. However, as with all maximum limits, this does not mean it is a safe to travel at such speed. As stated in the Highway Code, drivers are required to adjust their behaviour appropriately taking into consideration the road, traffic and weather conditions at the time. This includes on single track lanes and bends.

To ensure any new road safety measures have the greatest impact, we focus on locations with a proven road safety issue. This is mainly determined by the number of reported injury accidents at a particular location. We also target schemes that help improve the wider highway network.

We have assessed the road safety record and contacted the police regarding the speed limit on this road section. As there are no recorded injury incidents along here within the past 5 years we are unable to justify reducing the current speed limit along Smithy Lane.

As with the majority of roads throughout the county, there will be an element of incidents present which do not result in injury and, therefore, are not notified to the Police. However, in such instances no information is available to determine the causal factors involved. These could relate to an individual driver error, medical episodes or mechanical failure.

We understand that you are disappointed with our decision, but we hope our reasoning is clear.