Recently my wife and three of my friends have been given fixed penalty notices as a result of the speed limit being changed at Osbaldeston from 40 to 30mph.

All of them were travelling below 40mph, assuming that they were obeying the old limit on this section of the road, as they regularly travel along it on their way to work.

On the night my wife got flashed, herself and three other drivers pulled over and swapped details as they assumed the speed camera to be faulty.

The following day I went to inspect the area, only to discover the speed limit had been changed, without any prior warning signs until after the solitary 30mph sign and speed camera.

To add insult to injury, the warning sign about the new speed limit is placed after the speed camera and just near to the end of where the new 30mph zone finishes.

I believe this change in speed limit has nothing to do with road safety and is legalised theft from motorists.

The logical way to slow people down in this section of road would be to place the signs saying ‘new speed limit ahead’ before the zone and not in the middle of it. Furthermore, I believe more signage is needed before the 30mph zone to warn motorists to slow down, or even better, one of the electronic signs to warn you that you are travelling too fast.

A solitary 30mph sign could quite easily be missed, as it was on the night when my wife was driving, as there was snow all around and the vehicles in front were throwing up road spray.

What is more disturbing is that authorities bang on about road safety, whilst they seem more interested in raising cash, rather than slowing down traffic outside St Mary’s Primary School in Osbaldeston.

David Birtwistle (via email).