Residents want 40mph speed limit on A353 following crashes
People in Osmington and Poxwell have called on Dorset Council to cut the 60mph speed limit to 40mph on a stretch of the A353. The A353 heading eastbound out of Osmington, where the 30mph speed limit becomes a National (60mph) Speed limit road (Image: Google Maps) Between the two villages, the road begins as a 30mph zone through Osmington in the west, before becoming a national speed limit road.
Heading east, this 60mph zone lasts for less than a mile before a 40mph zone begins in Poxwell after the Ringstead turn-off. A353 Ringstead turn-off, still within the 60mph zone (Image: Google Maps)
A353 at Poxwell, where the speed limit becomes 40mph heading east into Poxwell (Image: Google Maps)
Residents have been campaigning on road safety for a while recent collisions in the area have put a spotlight on the campaign. On Friday, October 6, a car and a lorry collided[1] at the Ringstead turn-off on the A353 in the 60mph zone. A day later on Saturday, October 7, another crash was reported[2] in the 30mph zone in Osmington.
A car was overturned after hitting a gas main in Osmington on Sunday (Image: Jamie Ives) And in the early hours of Sunday, October 15, a car crashed into a gas main[3] in the 60mph zone (above) at Grove Hill, leading to residents of Osmington being evacuated. Following surveys of the road by Dorset Council’s Highways Team, there are plans in place to reduce the speed limit of the section of the A353 to 50mph, whilst also shortening the zone in order to make the turn off to Ringstead part of the 40mph speed limit in Poxwell.
Resident Jamie Ives has lived in Osmington since 1990. He said: “It seems stupid that less than a mile of the road is the national speed limit between 30mph and 40mph zones. “Since I have lived here I have witnessed three accidents and one of them was fatal.
“I am worried it will happen again. “I have brought up with my local councillor and Dorset Council has decided to change the road to 50mph and make it shorter. “It blows my mind – it is a complete waste of time and money.
“They should make the speed limit either 40mph like it is through Poxwell or 30mph like coming from Osmington. “For such a great expense, it seems far simpler to make it a 30 or a 40, rather than confuse drivers with another speed limit and shorten the distance.” Local Councillor Nick Ireland said it has been his “aspiration” to reduce the speed limit on the road to 40mph.
Councillor Nick Ireland said it is his aspiration to make the road a 40mph speed limit (Image: Dorset Council) He said: “It has been an aspiration of Osmington Parish Council and myself to get the speed limit down to 40 mph. “We have asked Dorset Council for a 40mph speed limit and they have agreed to look at lowering it to 50mph but they will not accept 40.
“We are grateful for the changes that are being proposed and that work is being done to reduce the speed limit, but it really should be 40mph.
“I haven’t given up on it, I have emailed (the council officer responsible) every day since the first crash happened, sending him links to the Dorset Echo articles of each crash every day since.”
References
- ^ car and a lorry collided (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)
- ^ another crash was reported (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)
- ^ car crashed into a gas main (www.dorsetecho.co.uk)