Petition for traffic calming measures on Chesterfield road rejected

A petition signed by 220 people was submitted to Derbyshire County Council calling for the installation of speed reducing measures and a 7.5 tonne weight limit on the A632 Walton Road to address high numbers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), speeding, noise and pollution.

Cabinet member for highways Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal declined the requests on grounds that the 30 mph road ‘does not meet the criteria given in the speed management protocol for the installation of the requested safety improvements’.

A council report into the matter stated: “The A632 Walton Road in Chesterfield is an ‘A’ classified road forming a part of Derbyshire’s strategic highway network and is therefore the preferred route for use by HGVs.

“As such, the council would not install a 7.5T environmental weight limit at this location, which would undoubtedly lead to HGVs rerouting on to nearby less suitable roads in the area.”

The report outlined there had been three collisions on the road in the three years up to August 31 2022, near the junctions of Hillside Drive, Moorland View Road and Walgrove Road – none of which were regarded as severe or the result of excessive speed.