Lower speed limits are set to be implemented on a stretch of a “high casualty road” on the outskirts of Exeter.
The 1.2-mile section of the A376 that begins at Clyst St Mary roundabout and runs to Clyst St George roundabout, where the headquarters of Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is based, has a national speed limit.
But with the rest of the A376 either side of this stretch limited to 40 mph, it makes the section of road an oddity.
Not only that, members of the East Devon highways and traffic orders committee (Hatoc) suggested the stretch of road had a history of accidents.
“There is a high casualty rate on this road, but what the statistics don’t show is that there have been casualties going back even further, and one property on the southbound side [towards Exmouth] has been crashed into three times, once with fatal consequences,” said Councillor Henry Gent (Green Party, Broadclyst).
“I don’t think we should hesitate [on making a decision] any longer, and we should reduce the speed on this dangerous road.”
A report prepared for the committee confirmed the the section of the A376 under review was “one of the worst-performing routes across Devon and Cornwall”.
“It was categorised as a ‘red’ or worst-performing route section and it was ranked 8th worst out of all 502 rural category A and B road routes across Devon and Cornwall,” the report stated.
“Over the five-year analysis period [between 2018-2023], 13 injury collisions had been recorded, with five resulting in serious injuries and eight resulting in slight injuries.
“A total of 20 people were injured in these collisions. And this section of the A376 had a killed or seriously injured (KSI) rate of 38 per cent, in comparison with the Devon and Cornwall average of 18 per cent.”
Longer analysis showed that nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of all injury collisions happened on the northbound single-lane section, including three-quarters (75 per cent) of the serious injury collisions.
The suggestion to reduce the speed limit came from Devon County Council’s annual traffic collision investigation process, and 12 members of the public commented on the proposal to reduce the speed limits.
Most of those suggested they did not believe the stretch under scrutiny was particularly treacherous, even though official data suggests otherwise.
Members of the public also stated that accidents on parts of the A376 where there were already 40 mph speed limits were notable too.
The section of road travelling northbound towards Exeter reduces from two lanes to one on the approach to a petrol station, and then has relatively sharp bends as well as a narrow bridge.
Meanwhile, travelling southbound, drivers tend to have to move lanes as they approach Clyst St George roundabout, with the majority heading straight across the roundabout towards Exmouth, or turning left towards Woodbury Salterton.
While the committee stated that some drives might complain that slower speeds could impact commuting times, members felt the lower speed limits were warranted.
There was also a suggestion of making the whole stretch 40 mph, rather than 50 mph and then dropping to 40 mph in certain places.
However, officers suggested the 50 mph made sense on parts of the road, and highlighted that a proposal for solely 40 mph would need to be re-advertised for consultation, which would delay any action being taken.
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