National speed limit road through Penistone will be reduced to 50mph

The national speed limit road will be reduced to 50mph on a section of the road from Hoylandswaine Roundabout to the Huddersfield Road Junction.

The scheme is part of a planning condition imposed by Barnsley Council for a new housing development to the west of Wellhouse Lane, and the full costs will be met by the developer.

As part of the planning permission, a review was undertaken of traffic speeds on Halifax Road, passing the junction where the homes will be built.

During a recent speed survey, BMBC officers found that 85 percent of traffic on the stretch travelled at 52mph or below, and the median speed was 47mph.

Councillor James Higginbottom, cabinet member for Environment and Highways, told the today’s cabinet meeting that a pedestrian crossing will also be implemented near the entrance to the new development.

He added that collision data shows that there have been four serious and three minor collisions on the stretch in the last five years, and that drivers “would not adhere” to a limit lower than 50mph without additional measures” such as speed cameras, which require “significant funds and greater collision justification”.

A report concluded that the scheme will ‘have little or no noticeable impact on the travelling public’.

“The new speed limit will be more appropriate and improve the safety level of the whole road environment,” adds the report.