Questions over why dozens of Hedon streets have been given 20mph limits prompted a debate at the town council’s latest public participation session.
Councillors defended the scheme’s aim of reducing speed across the town, but acknowledged concerns about Acklam Road remaining at 30mph and said its exclusion would be raised with East Riding Council.
The scheme covers 46 roads and was made permanent in September, following an experimental traffic order introduced in March 2025.
At the session on Thursday, October 22, a resident questioned why the restrictions had been introduced across such a large area rather than justified on a street-by-street basis.
She supported lower limits around schools but wanted to understand why streets with different layouts, traffic levels and pedestrian activity had been treated together.
She contrasted Bond Street, which she described as wide with few pedestrians and relatively little on-street parking, with Acklam Road, where bends and parked vehicles presented different conditions but the limit remained 30mph.
The resident referred to government guidance, which recommends assessing 20mph schemes road by road, based on safety and local support. The guidance also allows several roads to be covered by a single traffic order.
Town and ward councillor Steve Gallant said the town council had supported a 20mph scheme for several years and East Riding Council had undertaken speed surveys before and after its introduction.
He said: “These subsequent tests have shown that people are driving more slowly, which was the object. It’s not about catching people doing 24.”
Cllr Gallant said the purpose was to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, including by reducing the potential consequences of a collision.
Cllr Phil Hinch argued that the lower limit also had a psychological effect. Drivers who might exceed 30mph in a 30mph area could still exceed a 20mph limit, he said, but travel at less than 30mph.
He said: “If we can stop one casualty or one fatality by potentially inconveniencing some people, then that’s a win for me.”
He also suggested that consistent limits across an area could avoid confusion caused by frequent changes between neighbouring streets, while making clear that this was his understanding of the possible rationale.
The resident also questioned how widely the consultation had reached, saying she had not known about the change until she saw the signs and road markings.
Cllr Gallant said East Riding Council had consulted online and the response had been generally positive, although he could not recall the number of responses.
The public consultation ran from September 18 to October 31, 2024. The proposals were also publicised through the local press, with the Gazette reporting on October 3 that year and encouraging residents to give their views.
The newspaper’s earlier coverage was acknowledged during the discussion. Cllr Hinch said information had also been available through the town council’s website, but accepted that publicity would not reach everybody.
Mayor Cllr Suzie Wright raised concerns about reaching people who did not use computers or visit council websites.
There was common ground over Acklam Road. Cllr Wright described problems with drivers using it as a rat run, particularly around school times, and questioned why it had been left outside the scheme.
Cllr Gallant said residents had asked for the road to be included and he would ask East Riding Council to look again at its exclusion. Councillors also offered to seek further monitoring data from the authority.
