Petitions calling for new 20mph speed limits on several roads in West Bridgford are not being progressed at this time after a review by Nottinghamshire County Council.
Two petitions were presented to a meeting of the county council on 18 September 2025 by Councillor Penny Gowland. The first, signed by 117 people, requested that the speed limit be reduced to 20mph on Abbey Road south of Davies Road. The second petition, signed by 47 people, called for 20mph limits to be introduced on Clumber Road, Portland Road, Manvers Road, Carnarvon Road and Exchange Road.
Abbey Road currently has a mix of speed limits along its length. A mandatory 20mph limit was introduced north of Davies Road in 2016 as part of an area-wide pilot scheme. South of Davies Road the road remains subject to a 30mph limit. There is also an advisory 20mph section between approximately 40 metres north-west of Buckfast Way and the junction with Burleigh Road and Rodney Road, introduced around 2013–14 as part of a programme of advisory limits outside schools.
Under the county council’s current policy, requests for 20mph limits are assessed individually, taking account of feasibility, effectiveness in delivering the objectives set out in the authority’s Our Council Plan 2025–2029, and value for money.
Council analysis of 20mph schemes introduced across Nottinghamshire has found that targeted casualty-reduction schemes which combine lower speed limits with traffic calming measures have helped reduce both vehicle speeds and the number and severity of road traffic casualties. However, wider area-based 20mph trials have not shown the same results. According to the council’s assessment, such schemes have not reduced casualties, reduced vehicle speeds by less than 1mph, and have not led to more people walking or cycling.
As a result, the council says investment in 20mph limits is currently focused on locations where they are expected to provide the greatest benefit, particularly where there is a history of collisions or where schemes form part of strategic cycle route improvements.
Police collision data covering the five years to the end of May 2025 recorded one injury collision on Abbey Road between Davies Road and Buckfast Way. The collision resulted in slight injuries and police indicated that speed was not considered a contributing factor. On that basis, the council says there are no plans to introduce a 20mph limit on this section of road as part of a casualty-reduction scheme.
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Abbey Road is also not included in the Nottinghamshire strategic cycle network, which was identified through the D2N2 Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. This means there are currently no proposals to introduce a 20mph limit there as part of wider cycling infrastructure improvements.
The second petition related to a number of roads in the nearby residential area around Manvers Road. Some sections already have mandatory 20mph limits in place. Manvers Road, Carnarvon Road east of Stanley Road, and Exchange Road south of Ethel Road were given 20mph limits as part of earlier schemes linked to strategic cycle routes and school-area safety measures. Clumber Road, Portland Road and Carnarvon Road west of Stanley Road remain subject to 30mph limits.
In the five years to May 2025, police recorded two injury collisions within the area covered by the petition. One occurred at the junction of Exchange Road and Manvers Road and involved a pedestrian who suffered slight injuries. The second occurred on Carnarvon Road south-west of Exchange Road and involved a child pedestrian who also suffered slight injuries. Both incidents took place on sections of road where a mandatory 20mph limit already applies, and police did not identify speed as a contributing factor.
Because the available data does not indicate a pattern of collisions linked to speed, the council says introducing new mandatory 20mph limits in the area is not currently proposed as part of a casualty-reduction scheme. Similarly, Clumber Road, Portland Road and the relevant section of Carnarvon Road are not part of the strategic cycle network, so there are no current plans to introduce new limits through cycling infrastructure programmes.
Traffic calming measures were also considered as an alternative. The council’s policy states that such measures may be introduced in urban areas where they are needed to reduce casualties, or in exceptional circumstances to address community concerns about inappropriate speed or through traffic. However, the authority concluded that the available collision data does not indicate a pattern of incidents that would make traffic calming a priority at present.
The council says the lead petitioners will be informed that their requests are not being progressed at this stage. However, the petitions will remain on record. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Place Select Committee is due to begin an examination of how road safety measures, including 20mph limits, are assessed and implemented from October 2025. The requests could be reconsidered in the future if the scope of 20mph schemes in the county is expanded and funding becomes available.
