M32 Bristol Consultation on the introduction of a permanent

50mph speed limit over Eastville Viaducton the M32

6 February – 5 March 2017

1

Contents

Executive summary 2

Consultation at a glance 3

Background 4

Proposed legislative changes 5

Frequently asked questions 7

Appendix 8

2

This statutory consultation gives interested parties an opportunity to comment on the introduction and enforcement (by regulations under section 17(2) and (3) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) of a 50mph speed limit on the M32, over the Eastville Viaduct (from a point 83 metres north of the Eastville Viaduct northern mechanical joint to a point 22 metres north of the Severn Beach railway line bridge).

The reduction in the permanent speed limit is necessary because this section of the M32 (the elevated section around junction 2) does not comply with the current safety standards required for a modern urban motorway.

Executive summary

32

The consultation at a glance

Scope We are proposing to introduce a permanent 50mph speed limit in both directions on a 1.2 kilometre stretch of the M32 over the Eastville Viaduct. The restrictions would be from a point 83 metres north of the Eastville Viaduct northern mechanical joint to a point 22 metres north of the Severn Beach railway line bridge. See the map on page 6.

This consultation will last for a period of four weeks starting on 6 February 2017. It will close on 5 March 2017. Please ensure responses arrive no later than that.

How to respond

Please send your consultation response using the consultation response form in appendix A to:

Paul Barker Highways EnglandTemple Quay House 2 The Square Temple Quay BS1 6HA

Or alternatively you can respond electronically email at:M32@highwaysengland.co.uk

After the consultation

All feedback received within the consultation period will be considered and responded to as necessary.

At the end of the consultation period a summary report will be made available on the website (https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/). The report will provide an analysis of the feedback received and Highways England’s response to it. We will aim to produce this report within four weeks of the consultation period ending.

Subject to the results of the consultation, it is envisaged that the revised speed limit will be in place by autumn 2017.

4

The Eastville Viaduct elevated section of the M32 was built in the early 1970’s, according to the standards set at that time, with no provision for future expansion made.

As things stand this section of the M32 does not meet the current safety standards of a modern urban motorway. Notably,

� The hard shoulder is too narrow (it should be at least 2.75 metres wide, but on average it is 1.99 metres wide),

� The space between the right hand lane and the central reservation is too narrow (there should be at least a 0.7 metre gap but on the Eastville Viaduct it is just 0.45 metres),

� The central reservation kerb in this location is too high (thereby reducing the effectiveness of the barrier itself).

BackgroundIt is therefore proposed that the speed limit in this location is reduced, from 60mph to 50mph.

The M32 runs through a predominately rural landscape until the start of the viaduct, where it then cuts through a densely populated urban area. A lower speed limit on the viaduct will have the benefit of not only improving safety for road users, but it will also simultaneously help reduce traffic noise and improve air quality, which are key concerns for residents and commuters in that location.

54

Subject to the outcome of the consultation, regulations will need to be made under section 17(2) and (3) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (the 1984 Act).

The proposed regulations will prohibit driving at more than 50mph on the M32 and the slip roads northbound and southbound from a point 83 metres north of the northern mechanical joint of the Eastville viaduct to a point 22 metres north of the Severn Beach railway line overbridge.

Vehicles used for emergency services and UK special forces purposes would be exempt from the proposed speed limit.

The extent of the speed limit is shown in the map on page 6. This section of road has been subject to a 40mph speed limit under a temporary traffic regulation order since July 2014. This was put in place following an inspection of the central reservation vehicle restraint system (central barrier) which found that the bolts holding it down no longer had the capacity to withhold a vehicle travelling at 60mph (the previous speed limit). A scheme has subsequently been devised to replace the central barrier (due to start early in 2017), however even when complete it is Highways England’s view that the elevated section of the M32 on the Eastville Viaduct will still not meet current safety standards. In view of this Highways England is proposing to reduce the permanent speed limit on this section of the road to 50mph. Once in place, a 50mph limit in this location will

Proposed legislative changesenable a stepped transition from the 70mph limit on the M32 around junction 1 (with the M4) to 50mph over the viaduct (junction 2), 40mph* in the vicinity of junction 3 and the bus lane, and 30mph as traffic enters Bristol.

This stepped change will prevent excessive braking, reduce vehicle noise and improve traffic flow into the city. It will also be more intuitive, gradually reducing speed on the approach to the urban area.

Similarly traffic exiting Bristol will gradually increase in speed from 30mph in the city centre, 40mph* around junction 3, a proposed new 50mph zone in the vicinity of junction 2, before reaching the national speed limit (70mph) at a point 83 metres north of the northern mechanical joint of the Eastville viaduct outbound towards junction 1 (M4 interchange).

*subject to agreement following a statutory consultation on changes to the speed limit in that area, around the newly extended bus lane.

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Temple Quay House,2 The Square,Temple Quay,

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© Crown copyright and database rights 2017 OS 100030649

76

Frequently asked questions

Why do you need to reduce the speed on this section of the M32 to 50mph?The reduction in the permanent speed limit is necessary because this stretch of the M32 (the elevated section around junction 2) does not comply with the current safety standards required for a modern urban motorway. Specifically, the hard shoulder and the space between the right hand lane and the central reservation are too narrow. The central reservation kerb in this location is also too high (thereby reducing the effectiveness of the barrier itself).

Will the planned reduction in the speed limit slow traffic down even further / make it harder to get into Bristol than it is already?No. There is already a gradual reduction in speed as traffic makes its way into Bristol (noting that where the M32 becomes the A4032, Newfoundland Way, the road is subject to a 30mph limit, before reaching traffic signals which often bring traffic to a standstill).

What happens next? This consultation will run until 5 March 2017. Feedback collated during this period will then be considered, with a consultation report produced within four weeks of it ending. This report will provide an analysis of the feedback and Highways England’s response to it.

Subject to the results of the consultation, it is envisaged the new speed limit will be in operation by Autumn 2017.

8

Appendix � Consultation response form � List of statutory consultees � Government consultation principles

98

Consultation response form

Proposal to reduce the speed limit on the M32 to 50mph over the Eastville ViaductPlease complete this form by 5 March 2017 and return it to:

Paul Baker Highways EnglandTemple Quay House2 The Square Temple QuayBristol BS1 6HA

Part 1 – Information about youCompletion of this section is optional but helps with our analysis of results. A note at the end of this form explains that we may be obliged to release information if asked to do so.

Name

Address

Postcode

Email

Company name or organisation

Please tick one box from the list below that best describes you/your company or organisation.

Small to medium enterprise (up to 50 employees)

Large company

Representative organisation

Trade union

Interest group

Local government

Central government

Police

Member of the public

Other (please describe)

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation or interest group how many members do you have and how did you obtain the views of your members.

10

If you would like your response or personal details to be treated confidentially, please explain why.

Part 2 - Response to the Proposal

Do you have any concerns or feedback to offer regarding the plan to introduce a new permanent 50mph speed limit (from a point 83 metres north of the northern mechanical joint of Eastville viaduct to a point 22 metres north of the Severn Beach Railway Line overbridge) on the M32?

Yes

No

Please add any comments:

Space for additional comments:

Notes on the disclosure of informationInformation provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

If you want any information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that under the FOIA, there is a statutory Code of Practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence.

For more information about what information can be requested under the FOIA, see: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/official-information

Highways England will process your personal data in accordance with the DPA and in the majority of circumstances this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties.

1110

List of statutory consultees

Government bodies

Chief Executive DVSA Berkeley House Croydon Street Bristol BS5 0DA

MODDE&S SecretariatMinistry of Defence Maple 0a, #2043 MOD Abbey Wood Bristol BS34 8JH

Chief Executive Local Government Association Local Government House Smith Square London SW1P 3HZ

Chairman The Crown Estate 6 Bell’s Brae Edinburgh EH4 3BJ

Core responders / legal

National Police Chiefs Council1st Floor10 Victoria StLondonSW1H 0NN

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives 32 Southwark Bridge Road London SE1 9EU

Chief Constable British Transport Police Force HQ 25 Camden Road London NW1 9LN

Executive Director Magistrates’ Association Fitzroy Square London W1P 6DD

The President Chief Fire Officers Association 9-11 Pebble Close Amington Tamworth Staffordshire B77 4RD

The Chairman Police Federation Federation House Highbury Drive Leatherhead Surrey KT22 7UY

Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police 5th Floor, Zone A Main Building Whitehall London SW1A 2HB

Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police 5th Floor, Zone A Main Building Whitehall London SW1A 2HB

The President Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales 67a Reading Road Pangbourne Berkshire RG8 7JD

Regimental Secretary RHQ RMP Defence Police College Policing and Guarding Postal Point 38 Southwick Park Fareham Hants PO17 6EJ

12

Chief Fire Officer Avon Fire and Rescue ServiceHeadquartersTemple BackBristolBS1 6EU

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Abbey Court Eagle Way Exeter EX2 7HY

Avon and Somerset PoliceAvon and Somerset Police HQ PO Box 37 Valley Road Portishead Bristol BS20 8QJ 

Environmental organisations

Chief Executive Environment Agency South East Regional Office Kings Meadow House Kings Meadow Road Reading RG1 8DQ

The Chair Friends of the Earth 26-3 Underwood Street London N1 7JQ

Chief ExecutiveNatural England1 East ParadeSheffieldS1 2ET

Road user / safety organisations

The Chairman AIRSO 68 The Boulevard Worthing BN13 1LA

The Chairman Alliance of British Drivers P O Box 248 MANCHESTER M41 4BW

The Chairman Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) Clutha House 10 Storey’s Gate London SW1P 3AY

The Chairman British Motorcycle Federation 3 Oswin Road Brailsford Industrial Estate Braunstone Leicester LE3 1HR

The Chair Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee 2/17 Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR

Chief Executive Health and Safety Executive Rose Court 2 Southwark Bridge London SE1 9HS

1312

Chief Executive Freight Transport Association Hermes House St John's Road Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 9UZ

The Chairman Institute of Road Safety Officers IRSO Head Office 12 Haddon Close Wellingborough Northamptonshire NN8 5ZB

The Chairman Institute of Advanced Motorists IAM House 510 Chiswick High Road London W4 5RG

The Chair Motorcycle Industry Trainers Association 1 Rye Hill Office Park Birmingham Road Allesley Coventry CV5 9AB

The Chairman Motorcycle Action Group Central Office P.O. Box 750 Warwick CV34 9FU

Chief Executive National Express Group PLC National Express House Mill Lane Digbeth Birmingham B5 6DD

The Chairman PACTS Office F18 The Media Centre 7 Northumberland Street Huddersfield HD1 1RL

The Chairman RAC Foundation 89-91 Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HS

The Chief Executive Road Haulage Association Roadway House Bretton Way Bretton Peterborough PE3 8DD

The Chairman Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents RoSPA House 3 Calthorpe Road Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1RP

The Chief ExecutiveCampaign For Better Transport16 Waterside44-48 Wharf RoadLondon N1 7UX

The Chief ExecutiveDisabled Motoring UKNational Headquarters Ashwellthorpe Norwich NR16 1EX

14

Vehicle recovery operators

Operations Manager RAC Motoring Services RAC House Brockhurst Crescent Walsall WS5 4QZ

Road Operations Director The Automobile Association Ltd Fanum House Basing view Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 4EA

Chief Executive Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators AVRO House 1 Bath Street Rugby CV21 3JF

Managing Director Britannia Rescue Freepost RSJA-XLCX-BLCE Folly Hall Mills St Thomas Road Huddersfield HD1 3LT

Network Operations Manger Green Flag Green Flag House Cote Lane Pudsey Leeds LS3 5GF

Chief Executive Institute of Vehicle Recovery Operators Top Floor Bignell House Horton Road West Drayton Middlesex UB7 8EJ

The Director National Tyre Distributors Association 8 Temple Square Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP20 2QH

The President Road Rescue Recovery Association Hubberts Bridge Rd Kirton Holme Boston Lincolnshire PE20 1TW

Business organisations

The ChairmanBusiness West Leigh Court Abbots Leigh Bristol BS8 3RA

The Chairman Association of British Insurers 51 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HQ

Chief Executive British Insurance Brokers’ Association 8th Floor John Stow House 18 Bevis Marks London EC3A 7JB

The President Institute of Civil Engineers One Great George Street Westminster London SW1P 3AA

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Chief Executive The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation 119 Britannia Walk London N1 7JE

Chief Executive The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Earlstrees Court Earlstrees Road CorbyNorthants NN17 4AX

Chief Executive Motor Insurers' Bureau Linford Wood House6-12 Capital DriveLinford Wood Milton Keynes MK14 6XT

South West DirectorCBI South WestInnovation Centre University of Exeter Rennes Drive EX4 4RN

Local government

Bristol City CouncilCity HallPO Box 3176 BristolBS3 9FS

South Gloucestershire CouncilPO Box 300 Civic Centre High Street Kingswood Bristol BS15 0DS

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Government consultation principles

We are conducting this consultation in accordance with the government’s consultation principles:Consultation principles 2016 A. Consultations should be clear and concise Use plain English and avoid acronyms. Be clear what questions you are asking and limit the number of questions to those that are necessary. Make them easy to understand and easy to answer. Avoid lengthy documents when possible and consider merging those on related topics. B. Consultations should have a purpose Do not consult for the sake of it. Ask departmental lawyers whether you have a legal duty to consult. Take consultation responses into account when taking policy forward. Consult about policies or implementation plans when the development of the policies or plans is at a formative stage. Do not ask questions about issues on which you already have a final view. C. Consultations should be informative. Give enough information to ensure that those consulted understand the issues and can give informed responses. Include validated assessments of the costs and benefits of the options being considered when possible; this might be required where proposals have an impact on business or the voluntary sector. D. Consultations are only part of a process of engagement. Consider whether informal iterative consultation is appropriate, using new digital tools and open, collaborative approaches. Consultation is not just about formal documents and responses. It is an on-going process. E. Consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time. Judge the length of the consultation on the basis of legal advice and taking into account the nature and impact of the proposal. Consulting for too long will unnecessarily delay policy development. Consulting too quickly will not give enough time for consideration and will reduce the quality of responses. F. Consultations should be targeted. Consider the full range of people, business and voluntary bodies affected by the policy, and whether representative groups exist. Consider targeting specific groups if appropriate. Ensure they are aware of the consultation and can access it. Consider how to tailor consultation to the needs and preferences of particular groups, such as older people, younger people or people with disabilities that may not respond to traditional consultation methods.G. Consultations should take account of the groups being consulted. Consult stakeholders in a way that suits them. Charities may need more time to respond than businesses, for example. When the consultation spans all or part of a holiday period, consider how this may affect consultation and take appropriate mitigating action. H. Consultations should be agreed before publication Seek collective agreement before publishing a written consultation, particularly when consulting on new policy proposals. Consultations should be published on gov.uk. I. Consultation should facilitate scrutiny. Publish any response on the same page on gov.uk as the original consultation, and ensure it is clear when the government has responded to the consultation. Explain the responses that have been received from consultees and how these have informed the policy. State how many responses have been received. J. Government responses to consultations should be published in a timely fashion. Publish responses within 12 weeks of the consultation or provide an explanation why this is not possible. Where consultation concerns a statutory instrument publish responses before or at the same time as the instrument is laid, except in exceptional circumstances. Allow appropriate time between closing the consultation and implementing policy or legislation. K. Consultation exercises should not generally be launched during local or national election periods. If exceptional circumstances make a consultation absolutely essential (for example, for safeguarding public health), departments should seek advice from the Propriety and Ethics team in the Cabinet Office.

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If you have reason to believe this consultation document does not comply with these consultation principles, please write to our consultation co-ordinator at the address on this page, setting out the areas where you believe this paper does not meet the criteria.

Andy JohnsonHighways EnglandThe Cube 199 Wharfside Street Birmingham B1 1RN

Or alternatively email

andy.johnson@highwaysengland.co.uk

Further information about the consultation principles can be located on the Gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance

If you need help accessing this or any other Highways England information,please call 0300 123 5000 and we will help you.

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This document is also available on our website at www.gov.uk/highways

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