Road Traffic: Visible Speed Restriction Signs: Coombes v DPP [2006] EWHC 3263 (Admin)

This was an appeal by way of case stated by the appellant who had been convicted in January 2006 of speeding contrary to s s 81(1) and 89(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (‘the 1984 Act’). He had appealed to Bristol Crown Court who had dismissed his appeal in April 2006. The appellant had driven at a speed of 46 mph on a stretch of road that was subject to a 30 mph speed limit. The appellant accepted that he had driven at that speed but claimed that he had no knowledge of the speed limit on the relevant stretch and that the roadside signs were only visible at the point that he had driven past them as they had been hidden by over grown hedges. The Crown Court at appeal had found that, whilst the relevant stretch of road was preceded by another stretch of road subject to a 40 mph speed restriction, the change in speed limit was signified by two roadside signs, two ‘30’ roundels on the road surface and rumble strips. The roadside signs were of the correct height, shape and were in the correct place; however, these were obscured by over-grown hedgerows.