Correction: Dorchester 20mph Consultation: Please Note Updated Details

We owe our readers an apology. In last week's newsletter we gave an incorrect closing date for the Dorchester 20mph speed limit consultation. Here are the correct details — and there's more to it than we first reported, so please do read on.

How it came about

Last year, Dorchester residents petitioned the Town Council about vehicle speeds locally, raising concerns about pedestrian safety — particularly for children and older people — and the challenges faced by cyclists getting around. The Town Council took those concerns seriously, opened discussions with Dorset Council (which is legally responsible for highways and setting speed limits), and set up a task group to explore the options. The result is a formal six-week public consultation now underway.

The consultation

Dorchester Town Council's consultation on introducing a 20mph speed limit across the town runs from 23 July to 7 September 2026. The Town Council says the scheme aims to make Dorchester safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, improve the local environment, and encourage more active travel.

All residents will receive a mail shot delivered by Royal Mail, which includes information about the proposal and a form that can be completed and returned to Dorchester Town Council's offices, as well as a QR code to link to the online form. 

The online survey is available on the Dorchester Town Council website here, and we'd encourage everyone to take a few minutes to have their say before 7 September.

As we noted in our earlier story, the current proposals would retain a 30mph limit on Middle Farm Way in Poundbury. 

Come and talk to the Town Council in person 

Councillors will be out and about at a series of events over the coming weeks — a great opportunity to ask questions and find out more from the Dorchester Town Council stand:

• 25 July — Kite Festival, The Great Field, Poundbury

• 29 July — Dorchester Market

• 1 August — Dorset Food & Arts Festival, The Great Field, Poundbury

• 5 August — Dorchester Market

• 22 August — South Street, Dorchester

• 31 August — One World Festival, Borough Gardens

  
  

We apologise for the error in our earlier story and thank those readers who flagged it to us.