Villagers have welcomed a decision to introduce a new 50mph speed restriction on a Nottinghamshire country road which has been described as being "like a race track". Residents near Stragglethorpe Road, which connects the A52 and the A46, say crashes regularly happen on the road - and they hope the reduced speed limit from 60mph will encourage drivers to slow down.
Concerns have been raised over the speed people unfamiliar with the road take the bends. Residents have also said they have witnessed "dangerous overtakings" on the route.
Regarding Nottinghamshire County Council's decision to cut the speed limit, retired Terrance Campien, 65, said: "As far as I'm concerned I think it will be good. There have been a few accidents on there and it's a rat run for the whole village.
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"It's got worse in recent years definitely." Civil servant Rob McKie, 41, of Cotgrave, described Stragglethorpe Road as "the bendiest road in the area".
He said: "It's just lefts and rights all the way down so I only take it at about 40 anyway. I think it should all be reduced down to a 40 as this end always has bad traffic anyway towards the A52."
It has been found the number of injuries to motorists on the road is higher than average, so it is hoped the reduced speed limit will help drivers stay safe. The county council explained the route had more accidents and daily traffic than most unclassified rural roads, with 12 accidents causing injuries to vehicle occupants between 2016 and 2019.
Rob added: "I'm surprised it's a 60 but I'm not surprised it's above average for the number of accidents there."
A 36-year-old carer, who did not wish to be named said: "That road should definitely be reduced - there's always accidents on there, it's always been a bad road. I drive on there quite a lot and it's like a race track, especially on a Friday or Saturday."
She added: "I think it should have been a 40 more than a 50, but you have to accept what's been decided." Civil servant Alan Clewes, 39, of Cotgrave, is also pleased with the plans.
He said: "I think it will probably be a good idea, to be honest, as there is part of the road that's already a 40 and we do get a few people attempting to overtake on that road, so I think it's a good idea." When asked if he was surprised by the number of collisions there, Alan replied: "Not really. I have lived in this area all my life and driving on there every day you do get quite a few people who get quite impatient because there's a lot of farm vehicles which use the road.
"We get a lot of people trying to overtake them, so I think reducing the speed to a 50 is a good idea." Luke, 45, and Becky Baumber, 40, both of Cotgrave, also agree that reducing the speed limit will be good for the area.
Luke said: "I think it will be good. It's a fairly long road but you still have a lot of turnings on and off, so I think a reduction to 50 would be sensible." Becky added: "If you are trying to cross the road it can be quite difficult and dangerous as the cars go so fast."
A 39-year-old environmental worker, who did not wish to be named, added: "There's a lot of young families in the area so it's a positive for them, but like a lot of people I work from home now so don't drive on it as much. I have lived here long enough and have heard about all the accidents."
Councillor Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment at the county council, said: "Stragglethorpe Road connects two major routes and because of this, it carries a lot of traffic – somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 vehicles, which is higher than average for this type of road. We are concerned that the number of injury accidents is also higher than average for this kind of road and this is one of the reasons why we have decided to lower the speed limit.
"In July 2021, we set ourselves a new road safety target to reduce the number of preventable road traffic collisions which result in fatalities or serious injury by 40% in the next 10 years. We are now almost two years into this 10-year period, and it is measures such as this speed limit reduction on Stragglethorpe Road which will play a part in achieving our aim.
"Changes to speed limits are calculated using guidance from the Department for Transport. Speed limits should reflect the nature of the road and the average speeds of the traffic.
"In this rural location, 50mph is a realistic limit that should lower the average speeds further and consequently improve road safety. The existing 40mph sections will not be affected by this change.
"We hope that these new measures increase safety for those travelling along the road and we will continue to monitor accident data."
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