The Mancunian Way speed limit could be permanently dropped from 50mph to 30mph
The speed limit on the Mancunian Way could be permanently reduced in a bid to reduce serious road traffic collisions in the future.
Since November 2022, a TTRO (Temporary Traffic Regulation Order) has been in place along the major thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, and was brought in following a review, both on the number and nature, of collisions that took place on the road during the past five years.
The TTRO reduced the official speed limit on the Mancunian Way from 50mph to 30mph – and now, it appears Manchester City Council wants to make this permanent.
After reviewing data between May 2016 to May 2021, and discovering that a total of 47 verified collisions took place, with 58 confirmed victims who had been injured as a result of these collisions, the Council is keen to take action and make changes for good.
Councillors say this data shows “a stark picture”, especially as it’s possible these figures could be even higher due to incidents and injuries that went unreported.
With what it says is a “direct link” between speed and the risk of a serious collision on the road, the Council has made the decision to launch a “potentially lifesaving” consultation on the prospect of reducing the speed limit by 20mph to 30mph on a permanent.
As well as working in consultation with National Highways and the Department for Transport (DfT) on this, the Council is also keen to gain input from the Greater Manchester public.
“The Mancunian Way is no longer designed to cope with the levels of traffic it sees daily,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“We have gone from an age that saw tens thousands of cars on the road to millions, yet this road is still operating under the same principles it launched under 50 years ago [so] ultimately, we are hoping to prevent injury and potentially save lives by introducing this change.”
According to the Council, the reduction in speed will cover the whole of Mancunian Way between Egerton Street and Fairfield Street – including the 40mph section between Downing Street and Fairfield Street – and will connect the road to existing 20mph or 30mph streets in an attempt to “make the whole area 30mph or below”.
The consultation has now officially launched, with local residents urged to have their say, and will run for four weeks before closing on Thursday 7 December.
Read more:
- New road safety measures introduced to make Manchester ‘congestion free’
- More than 100 new ‘ultra’ speed cameras have been installed across Greater Manchester
- New report finds 20mph speed limits make ‘no significant difference’ to road safety
You can find out more give your input online here.
Featured Image – Ocean Outdoor