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North Yorkshire Council

Skipton and Ripon Area Committee

12 December 2024

Receipt of Petition titled ‘20mph speed limit for High and Low Bentham’

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)

1.0

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

1.1

To advise of a petition containing more than 500 signatures.

1.2

To ask the Area Committee to consider a response.

2.0 THE PETITION

2.1 A petition has been received by North Yorkshire Council which contains 1,031 signatures.

2.2 The title of the petition is ‘20mph speed limit for High and Low Bentham’. The statement, information and pictures attached to the petition can be seen at Appendix A.

2.3 The petition can be seen on the Council’s website here: Petitions received | North Yorkshire Council

3.0 THE COUNCIL’S ARRANGEMENTS FOR RECEIVING AND RESPONDING TO PETITIONS

3.1 The key features of the Council’s arrangements for receiving and debating petitions, as published on the Council’s website, are as follows:

· Receipt of the petition is published on the Council’s website (which has been done in the case of this petition).

· If a petition contains 500 or more signatures (but less than 30,130 signatories), it will be scheduled for debate at the next meeting of the appropriate Area Committee.

· The petition organiser is offered the opportunity to speak for five minutes at the Area Committee meeting to present their petition. Subsequently, at the meeting, the petition will be discussed by Councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes and a decision will be made on how to respond to the petition.

· Possible responses by the Council to petitions, as shown on the website, are:

(a) to take the action requested by the petition;

(b) not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate;

(d) where the issue is one on which the council Executive is required to make the final decision, the council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

· The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of this decision. This confirmation will also be published on the website.

3.2 In accordance with the arrangements described above, the petition organisers have been invited to join today’s meeting to present their petition.

4.0 OFFICERS’ COMMENTS REGARDING THE PETITION

4.1 Receipt of the petition has been received after a request to consider the introduction of 20mph speed limits in High Bentham and Low Bentham was submitted by the Parish Council earlier in the year. The Parish Council request was considered in the Area office and it was agreed that traffic surveys needed to be undertaken to assess the vehicles speeds.

4.2 Traffic data counters were installed at five locations at the beginning of October and traffic data recorded for a 7-day period. The counters were installed on Main Street, Low Bentham, Low Bentham Road outside the primary school, and on Main Street, Robin Lane and Goodenber Road, High Bentham.

4.3 Following the completion of the surveys, the data has been reviewed and the summary figures are as follows

Location	Mean Speed	85^th percentile speed	Comments	20mph to be taken forward
Main St, Low Bentham	20.5mph	23.8mph	Narrow road, parked cars, speeds naturally low	Yes
Low Bentham Rd o/s school	24.0mph	27.8mph	30mph limit in place, average speeds at highest limit for 20mph - the road is wide - physical measures may have to be introduced	Unlikely, but needs further investigation
Main Street, High Bentham	20.7mph	25.5mph	Narrow road with parking and speeds are low.	Yes
Robin Lane, High Bentham	26.8mph	32.9mph	Route for livestock vehicles to auction site. Mean speeds are above the threshold (particularly southbound) and therefore would need engineering measures for 20mph to be effective.	No
Goodenber Road, High Bentham	18.9mph	24.1mph	Residential, not a main through route and suitable for 20mph speed limit.	Yes

4.4 The NYC 20mph Speed Limit and Zone Policy states that the mean speed threshold for considering a signed only 20mph speed limit is 24.0mph or below. The results shown in the table above show that traffic speeds are at or below the threshold for all but one of the survey locations. Based on the survey data it is the recommendation of officers that a scheme for the introduction of 20mph speed limits on Main Street (Low Bentham, Main Street (High Bentham) and Goodenber Road (and surrounding streets) is developed further and taken forward to public consultation.

4.5 Officers have already concluded that the introduction of 20mph speed limits is appropriate for some roads in High Bentham and therefore the request set out in the petition has been satisfied and no further action in response to the petition is required.

5.0 FINANCE

5.1 If approved, the costs associated with 20mph speed limit scheme implementation would be met from the existing Local Transport Plan capital block allocation.

6.0

Recommendations

6.1

6.2

That the Committee notes the petition and the comments of officers as set out in the report.

That the Committee recommends that officers proceed to consultation on the introduction of the 20mph speed limits as set out in the report

Possible responses by the Council to petitions, as shown on the website, are:

(a) to take the action requested by the petition;

(b) not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate;

(c) to commission further investigation into the matter, for example by a relevant committee; or

(d) where the issue is one on which the council Executive is required to make the final decision, the council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

Appendices:

Appendix A – Statement, information and pictures attached to the petition.

Barry Khan

Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)

County Hall

Northallerton

Author of report: David Smith, Democratic Services Officer.

Background Document: North Yorkshire Council’s petitions information and advice, a copy of which is on the Council’s website Petitions | North Yorkshire Council