Suffolk Chamber backs Police & Crime Commissioner’s call for A14 speed restrictions to reduce accidents and delays

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, the leading business organisation in the county, has welcomed a commitment from Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police & Crime Commissioner, to persuade National Highways to implement a 60mph speed limit along a significant stretch of the A14 – with a view to helping reduce the number accidents and hence delays on this vital roadway.

Responding to a range of short and long-term proposals discussed at an A14 summit hosted last year by Suffolk Chamber which brought together MPs and their staff, council leaders and chief executives plus local and national transport policymakers, the Chamber had written to Tim Passmore for help in lobbying for reduced speed limits between junctions 51 (A14/A140 interchange) and 58 (A14/A12N interchange).

The resulting A14/Orwell Bridge Group identified a number of next steps, including:

• Engaging the Police & Crime Commissioner to back reduced speed limits on the A14
• Lobbying National Highways to start deploy their staff along the A14 to improve recovery times after accidents and so minimise the business and community impacts of the resulting delays
• Enhancing the statistical evidence to demonstrate the negative impacts on the national economy of closures of the Orwell Bridge and delays at other A14 pinch points
• Making the case for junction 55 (Copdock Interchange) to be prioritised as an urgent priority in the current Roads Investment Strategy period
• Working up the details to identify national and local solutions to increased road capacity in and around Ipswich

Now Tim Passmore has written to offer his services to try to deliver the first objective. In his letter to the Chamber, the Commissioner states: 

“There is evidence elsewhere where this approach has been adopted. The limit on the A38 around Plymouth was reduced from 70mph to 60mph to reduce the level of killed and serious injuries and reduce the number of collisions and therefore reduce delays for all motorists.”

Tim Passmore added: “This request should be only regarded as an important but short-term approach. It is high time Suffolk received a much fairer allocation of funding for the A14 improvements which successive governments have ignored. We need a long-term solution to this intractable problem as a matter of great urgency and I trust the Department of Transport is listening and will act accordingly.”

Paul Simon, head of public affairs at Suffolk Chamber said: “The A14/Orwell Bridge Group is based on the principle that solutions to delays and congestion on the major roads in and around Ipswich can only be solved by unified action around a range of improvements, whilst ensuring that investigations into the viability of each, everything from this speed limit proposal to the viability of an Ipswich Northern Route, are brought forward as soon as possible. 

“So, this campaign to reduce speeds and therefore accidents on the A14 is a very welcome first step in this integrated approach to alleviating the unacceptable impact of an outdated road system on Suffolk’s businesses and communities. We are very pleased to have Tim’s support on this and look forward to working with him in his negotiations with National Highways.”