Chalk Lane and The Drift 30mph Speed Limit Proposal

Overview

Thank you for your interest in our 30mph Speed Limit proposals in Chalk Lane & The Drift, Horsley. 

The legislation we must follow before introducing this scheme means that we need to allow objections and comments from the public to be considered before a final decision is reached about whether or not to go ahead with our preferred scheme in its current form.

The proposal:

During the last financial year there have been a number of additional new requests for the reduction of speed limits in certain roads in East Horsley, one of which was the imposition of a 30mph speed limit on Chalk Lane and another the extension of the existing 30mph speed limit on a section of The Drift. At the March 2022 Guildford Joint Committee meeting, Members agreed to include this and several other road safety schemes in the 2022/23 programme.

Speed limits can help to reduce accidents and improve safety for all road users. It has been shown that the slower a vehicle is travelling then the less likelihood there is of a serious or fatal injury occurring. It is expected that by imposing the 30mph speed limit on Chalk Lane and extending the 30mph speed limit on The Drift, this will contribute to improving road safety and improving the environment in the vicinity.

Following a request from the East Horsley Parish Councillor and residents, to impose a 30mph speed limit on Chalk Lane and to extend the existing 30mph speed limit on a section of The Drift, engineers discussed this with Surrey Police There are several accesses that join these roads and some drivers have reported that they have difficulty when leaving their properties due to the speed of other vehicles.

The above proposal will be advertised in the local press (The Surrey Advertiser). The County Councillor, stakeholders and Surrey Police will be formally consulted.

Drafting Amendments

In 2003 a road table was provided at the junction of Ockham Road North, East Lane and The Drift as part of a Safe Routes to School Scheme. At that time a system of street lighting was installed to light the road table and the then existing 40 miles per hour speed limit on that part of Ockham Road North and The Drift was reduced to a 30 mile per hour speed limit in the vicinity of the road table to reduce the speed of vehicular traffic on safety grounds (East Lane was already subject to a 30 mile per hour speed limit at that time). This was accomplished by the making of a Speed Limit Order in 2003.

However, it has now been discovered that the street lighting in the area now forms a system of street lighting (i.e., consisting of a minimum of three lamp columns placed not more than 200 yards apart and lighting the carriageway of the affected road or roads or any part thereof). By virtue of the provisions of Sections 81 and 82(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 this has the effect of automatically imposing a 30 mile per hour speed limit as well. In such a case the 30 mile per hour speed limit that should take priority is that imposed by the above-mentioned provisions of the Act of 1984 and the Police are of this view as well as, due to the different signing requirements, if the 30 mile per hour speed limit is imposed both by an Order and the 1984 Act, it renders the 30 mile per hour speed limit unenforceable by the Police.

It is, therefore, proposed to revoke the 30 mile per hour speed limit imposed on that length of The Drift which extends north-eastwards for 26 metres from the north-eastern kerb-line of Ockham Road North so that the 30 mile per hour speed limit can be enforced by the Police under the correct provisions. This will result in no changes whatsoever to the proposed imposition of a 30 mile per hour speed limit on the entire length of The Drift, it is merely being undertaken due to the provision of a lamp column in The Drift which, combined with those in Ockham Road North and East Lane, now form a system of street lighting on those roads

• Public Notice
• Statement of Reason
• Chalk Lane - Plan
• The Drift - Plan

If you would like to object, support, or comment on the proposal, please use the Online Survey linked at the bottom of the page, or alternatively, write to:

TRO Team, Hazel House, Merrow Lane, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7BQ

by 03 February 2023.

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What happens next

The comments and objections will be considered..