MOTORISTS have been warned to stick to the new 40mph speed limit on Grimsby's Peaks Parkway – when it comes into force at the end of next month.
North East Lincolnshire Council leader Chris Shaw made the plea after councillors voted to increase the limit on the town stretch of the road from 30mph.
Speaking after the decision was taken, Mr Shaw said drivers had "got what they wanted", but warned that the controversial average speed cameras activated last October would remain in place.
He said: "We have increased the speed limit to 40mph. Members of the public need to drive accordingly. You have got what you wanted, so don't come bleating when you get a ticket."
As reported in yesterday's Grimsby Telegraph, the council agreed to raise the limit on the section of road between the traffic lights at B&Q and the 50mph zone past the Weelsby Road junction. The section from Frederick Ward Way, under the Pasture Street bridge and up to B&Q will remain at 30mph.
The decision comes nine months after a petition signed by almost 2,000 people calling for the speed limit to be increased was presented to full council. That was sparked by outrage at the flood of fines handed out to motorists for exceeding the 30mph limit once the cameras were enforced, with many claiming the speed was too slow for a road of that nature.
The Grimsby Telegraph has repeatedly asked for the number of speeding fines issued to motorists along the Peaks Parkway, but Safer Roads Humber, which operates the cameras, have not yet released the figures.
Mr Shaw told the meeting that Humberside Police had failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify its objection to the increase.
As previously reported, police claimed that the move would risk increasing the number of collisions and result in more serious injuries being sustained.
Drawing comparisons with 2011, when a previous proposal to increase the limit to 40mph was scrapped upon police advice, Mr Shaw said: "Instead of just rolling over to the objection, we asked for evidence. And there was none that was robust enough to support the objection."
Mr Shaw also claimed that the council had been "threatened" by Humberside Police to keep the 30mph limit in place.
The leader was asked to clarify comments he made to the Grimsby Telegraph in August that councillors would be held "personally liable" for any deaths or injuries resulting from any increase in the speed limit.
After monitoring officer Tony Maione confirmed that this would not be the case, Mr Shaw said: "That was something said to us by a police officer to make us stand by a previous decision made in 2010. That's the threat we had to deal with from Humberside Police."
A spokeswoman from Humberside Police declined to respond to Mr Shaw's claim that officers had made a "threat" to the council, but said: "We and other emergency services agreed that we were against the increase to the speed limit and gave our advice accordingly. However, the decision has now been made to increase it to 40mph and we must now concentrate on ensuring that motorists drive appropriately because ultimately we don't want to see any increase in casualties on the Peaks Parkway."
A spokesman for North East Lincolnshire Council said it was likely the first set of cameras, which are in the zone that will remain at 30mph, would be moved into the 40mph zone.
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