The speed limit on a York road could be slashed after residents said they feared a serious accident was a real risk.
Black Dike Lane, which runs from the A59 into Upper Poppleton, has a 60mph speed limit.
Now the plan is to halve that to 30mph, with the limit on the residential stretch of the road and Manor Close to drop from 30mph to 20mph.
Residents petitioned the council about their concerns, saying: “We are concerned about the risk of a serious accident due to vehicles driving at an inappropriate speed and the increasing volume of large vehicles using the lane.
“Black Dike Lane is partly a single-track country lane and partly a narrow residential lane with 31 houses (including those in Manor Close), a blind corner and, along most of its length, no footpaths.
“We consider that the lane is now unsafe for both pedestrians, especially the four residents who use wheelchairs and children, and riders of the horses and children’s ponies stabled in the lane.”
A council report says there have been reports of rat-running on Black Dike Lane.
A speed survey along the 30mph stretch of the road and found compliance was good, with only 0.9% of vehicles exceeding the speed limit.
“Despite the evidence to indicate no speed concerns, it is likely that there is a perceived risk to pedestrians, heightened by the narrowness of the road, lack of footways and proximity of the properties,” the report says.
“There is little protection for pedestrians from passing traffic, as there are no worthwhile lengths of footway along the section westwards from Manor Close.”
It adds: “There have been no recorded accidents on Black Dike Lane over the period 2019- 2021 inclusive. However, there have been three accidents on the A59 in the vicinity of the Black Dike Lane junction, two slight, one serious.”
Black Dike Lane, York
A plan to reduce the 60mph stretch to 40mph is already in the works as part of the annual speed limit review programme.
The report recommends reducing that further to 30mph as part of an experimental traffic regulation order, and reducing the 30mph stretch to 20mph in the same way.
The orders would last 18 months before being reviewed.
Installing traffic management measures like speed humps and chicanes have been ruled out, as inappropriate.
Instead, a series of recommendations have been put forward including refreshing the signs and road markings and installing new signs.
The proposal will be considered at a decision session meeting by the executive member for transport next Monday (20 January).