North Somerset Council is taking decisive action to enhance road safety on a notorious stretch of the A370 in Weston-super-Mare by reducing the speed limit by 10mph across five critical sections.
The proposed changes will affect Somerset Avenue, Airport Roundabout, Flowerdown Bridge, Herluin Way, Winterstoke Road, and Marchfields Way — a 3.8-mile corridor between M5 junction 21 and Hildesheim Bridge that has become a persistent hotspot for collisions.
Despite representing just 0.5% of North Somerset’s road network, this section has accounted for over 5% of injury-related collisions in the past 30 years. The council estimates that lowering the speed limit could reduce crashes by around 5%.
READ MORE: Fire Erupts Near Somerset Railway Line – Live Updates
READ MORE: Somerset Father Found Guilty of Murdering Four-Week-Old Son by Shaking
Councillor Hugh Malyan highlighted the urgency of the measure, stating, “The collision record on this busy stretch is ten times higher than it should be, with speed a significant contributing factor. By reducing the limit by 10mph, we aim to improve safety substantially while causing minimal disruption to drivers.”
Beyond safety, the council expects the speed reduction to yield environmental benefits, as slowing down by 10mph can cut vehicle emissions by 5 to 10%. Additionally, the change is anticipated to add less than a minute to journey times.
A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will be publicly advertised starting July 16, with on-site work scheduled to commence at the end of August.