A SPEED limit on a section of a busy Oldham bypass is to be INCREASED by an extra 20mph.

It follows a review carried out by transport bosses in 2010 which looked to set consistent speed limits across A and B roads in Greater Manchester.

Its aim was to reduce the need for enforcement and minimise complaints concerning ‘arbitrary or unfair’ speed limits.

They found that in Oldham, two parallel highway links had different speed limits – the slip road coming off the Oldham Way, leading to Manchester Road, and the one-way link from King Street roundabout along Ashton Road.

The slip road has a 50mph limit, while the one-way link is restricted to 30mph.

But bosses have agreed it will be easier to raise the speed limit on one road than reduce the other, because of lack of space to put speed signs on the carriageway.

The plan was signed off by cabinet member for neighbourhood services, Cllr Arooj Shah, as well as the director of environmental services, Carol Brown.

It will cost £9,700 – funded from the highway operations team – which will cover traffic signs, service ducts, and advertising costs.

The annual maintenance costs for signs and lighting, which total just £199, will be met from the existing council budgets.

Increasing the speed was the preferred option, which the decision report states, “will provide a system of speed management signing that will improve clarity for drivers and reduce the ambiguity for police when carrying out speed enforcement”.

Before changing a local speed limit a council has to be satisfied that the benefits exceed any disadvantages.

Its own legal advice states that the council should assess a number of factors including accident and casualty savings, and conditions and facilities for vulnerable road users.

Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Police, the Fire Service, and North West Ambulance Service were all consulted – but none of the services commented on the proposal.

Ward councillors in Coldhurst and Werneth were also consulted, and Mayor Javid Iqbal told the town hall he supported the plan.