Bungling transport chiefs left a major road without any speed limit – for up to 15 years.
The former Cheshire county council either lost or never filled in the crucial paperwork needed to enforce a 70mph limit on the A555 link road from Woodford to Handforth.
The road was built in 1996 and it is not clear whether it has ever had a legally-enforceable speed limit or if the necessary papers were simply lost at some time since it opened.
Staff at Stockport and Cheshire East councils – which are jointly responsible for the road – have not given up hope that legal orders did once exist, but have so far found no trace.
A fresh order was rushed through by Stockport council last week.
The error came to light when officials from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities reviewed speed limits across the region.
The 2.5-mile stretch of the A555 has no fixed speed cameras on it, but the lack of any orders would have made
any speeding prosecution invalid.
But a spokesman for Stockport council, which oversees most of the road, said the authorities were not aware of anyone being targeted for speeding on the A555 since it was built.
She added: “As part of a review of speed limits, copies of the order imposing the national speed limit on the A555 have so far not been traced by either Cheshire county council, the original order-making authority, or Stockport council.
“To combat this, Stockport council, with agreement from Cheshire East council, has taken responsibility to remake an order imposing the national speed limit should the original not be found.
“Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that there has not been any enforcement on the A555 to date by way of fixed cameras and mobile laser cameras. Stockport council will also be working closely with GMP in future to ensure the speed limit will be adhered to for the safety of all road users.”
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You can get plenty of speed up on there early doors at the weekend, nice and quiet too.
So no problems then!
Why is this news? Plenty of roads don't have TRO's. I can't find one for the new 50mph limits on the A56 near Haslingden, so I just go 70. (no idea why they changed it down)
What about pepole stoppped by traffic officers? I bet there have been a few of those. Will they be contacting them to advise that their tickets were not valid?
So no speed limits, no speed cameras and no accidents in 15 years.
A blueprint for the future?
So what? It was a national speed limit road anyway. Another Non story from the MEN
Isn't the speed limit automatically 30 mph on any road without a specified limit?
And how many accidents?
"Stockport council will also be working closely with GMP in future to ensure the speed limit will be adhered to for the safety of all road users.”
Presumably, there's also not been any serious accidents or other safety issues either otherwise this would surely have come to light sooner. Why are they now making a big issue of the word Safety, are we to expect speed cameras now the word 'safety' has been used
Ah yes, the A555 "Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road" that is of no use whatsoever for getting to the airport, or anywhere else for that matter. It was built to be part of the southern section of the Manchester Outer Ring Road, but the rest was never completed, leaving this white elephant all alone..
http://pathetic.org.uk/unbuilt/manchester_outer_ring_road_(south)/
"The error came to light when officials from the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities reviewed speed limits across the region"
Perhaps they should be doing this more often rather than getting involved in illegal plots to dictate the price of my bottle of wine.
As someone has already pointed out. The law states that the speed limit is 30mph unless otherwise stated. Which it isn't, therefore the speed limit on this road is 30mph.
"The former Cheshire county council either lost or never filled in the crucial paperwork needed to enforce a 70mph limit on the A555 link road from Woodford to Handforth."
Am I being thick? If the National Speed Limit is 70 MPH for Dual Carriageways, surely the very fact there was no speed limit notified would automatically nail it to 70 MPH?
If this road has not had a speed limit, and no major accidents have occured, then does it now need a speed limit?
Of course the councils concerned will claim it does, because it keeps them in jobs, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating!
Many speed limits in this country are unnecessary and should be abolished - and get rid of the jobs of hundreds of council staff.
nice one my focus st needs a good run out lol
I don't know this road, but the photo clearly shows the 'black and white' National Speed Limit' sign - which makes it 60mph if it's a single carridgeway road, or 70mph if it's a dual carridgeway.
If I'm not mistaken, that photo is actually the A34 (where there are speed limit signs), not the A555. I'm presuming it's been used as the sign on it shows the way to the A555.
If it took the authorities fifteen years to realise that they had not made a speed limit order for the middle bit of the A555, how many more years will it take for them to realise that they have forgotton to build the two end portions af the road?
regarding several comments about no accidents, please click on the link.
http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/1044483_man_dies_in_bramhall_smash
Shame Clarkson never found out we could have had the Stig testing the Bugatti Veyron, etc on it.
Just curious how can a person systematically not pay attention to such vital problems? Often local authorities and pliticians teach us but better them to sit on the last desk at school. They perfectly learned to express compasion to those, suffered accidents, but doing is a key factor. In Ukraine and Russia politicians even drive drunk and police never arrests them. Big boys pay a big money and drive drunk.. News in Ukrainian www.ternoregion.com