More then 2,000 drivers received speeding tickets on a South Bristol road after the limit was changed with tiny new signs. In just a few weeks, 2,088 speeding offences were recorded on St John’s Lane outside The Brunel pub, shortly after the limit was dropped from 30mph to 20mph.
The old 30mph signs were removed and replaced with fewer and much smaller 20mph signs, when the limit was reduced. A response to a Freedom of Information request revealed that 60 times more drivers were hit with a speeding ticket last November compared with November 2023.
The figures call into question how effective the new limit is in actually making the road safer. One affected driver called on Bristol City Council to install clearer signs, which could be more successful in reducing excessive speed, instead of collectively fining people £160,000 a month.
The driver, who lives locally but asked not to be named, said: “It’s a huge waste of people’s time and money to fine them or send them on a speed awareness course — rather than having clear signage that would actually have the most immediate impact on reducing excessive speeds.
“When I got flashed by the camera for driving at 30mph, I had no inkling they’d changed the speed limit because it was dark, the speed limit repeater signs are tiny and they’re only on the far side of the road when heading west. The car in front of me clearly also had no idea of the change in speed limit as they got flashed too.
“A 60 times increase in speeding offences isn’t a collapse in driver standards requiring enforcement — it’s a lack of awareness being drawn to the absence of a speed limit sign. People don’t drive around their local area as if it’s their first time, every time. Changes in road laws should be made clear, rather than expecting people to play ‘spot the missing road sign’.”
St John’s Lane is a busy road running round the back of Windmill Hill, connecting the A37 Wells Road with the A38 West Street, two main routes through the south of Bristol. Drivers caught speeding are hit with a £100 fine, with some given the option of going on a speed awareness course, costing £90 and lasting three hours, to avoid getting points on their licence.
The FOI figures show that in 2023, 24 offences were recorded in September, 34 in October and 27 in November. Enforcement of the new 20mph limit began on October 24 last year, when 440 offences were recorded. Then in November, 1,648 offences were recorded.
The driver added: “Using enforcement as a means of education seems, at best, heavy-handed, and at worst, a casual disregard for the time and finances of already stretched Bristolians.”
Both Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police were asked to comment. A police spokesperson said the council was responsible for speed limit signs. The council chose not to comment by the time of publication.