Mancunian Way 30mph limit could be here to stay
Concerns around congestion and collisions have prompted Manchester City Council to take permanent action to make the motorway safer and save lives. The speed limit on Mancunian Way, which runs for two miles from Egerton Street and Fairfield Street, was reduced from 50mph to 30mph 12 months ago in response to the amount of accidents occurring. Between May 2016 and May 2021 there were 47 verified collisions with 58 confirmed victims who had been injured as a result.
In January 2022, one person died and two others were seriously injured in car accident on Mancunian Way. Cllr Tracey Rawlins, executive member for environment and transport, said: “The Mancunian Way, which was first opened in 1967, is no longer designed to cope with the levels of traffic it sees daily. “We have gone from an age that saw tens of thousands of cars on the road to millions, yet this road is still operating under the same principles it launched under 50 years ago.
“Ultimately we are hoping to prevent injury and potentially save lives by introducing this change.” A consultation on the proposed change is now live. Manchester City Council’s decision to lower the speed limit on one of its busiest roads follows similar moves by councils and governments elsewhere bidding to improve the safety of its roads.
The Welsh Government’s decision to impose a 20mph speed limit on the nation’s roads has proved hugely controversial, while a similar initiative in London has cars forced to slow down on 65km of highways. The overall stopping distance is calculated at 23 metres when travelling at 30mph. At 50mph, the stopping distance is 53 metres.
To learn more about the future of infrastructure in the North West, including our highways network, you can attend Place North West’s Transport + Infrastructure[1] event next January.
References
- ^ Transport + Infrastructure (www.placenorthwest.co.uk)