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news
20mph sign (CC licensed by EdinburghGreens via Flickr)Speed limit should be 20mph across London, says transport consultancy
The speed limit should be 20mph across London according to the transport consultancy firm Steer Davies Gleave (SDG).
Having carried out research into the impact of 20mph speed limits and zones” for the London Borough of Merton on behalf of the London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet), SDG produced a 92 page document that concluded that driver education was as essential as new stricter rules.
It said: “Enforcement is only a partial solution, with changed driver attitudes so that 20mph is seen as the appropriate speed in urban areas being the key to achieving sustained reductions in vehicle speeds.”
Rod King MBE, founder of 20‘s Plenty for Us said: “Transport consultants SDG are clearly in favour of adoption of wide area 20mph limits.
“We know that it’s popular with residents too. Explaining the benefits to drivers is key to lasting cultural change where 20mph makes places better places to be. Local and national politicians can be confident that 20mph is a clear win-win for their residents, communities and the country.
“It’s time for 20 to be the default limit for not only London but all our urban, village and community streets.”
Other findings of the SDG report were that:
The evidence is clear that reducing vehicle speeds results in fewer and less severe collisions, particularly for vulnerable road users
Applying an area-wide approach has the benefit of providing greater consistency for drivers, improving awareness and supporting cultural change
There is already a nucleus of existing 20mph boroughs in central London, and this could be used as a starting point for outwards expansion
20mph limits supported primarily by signage and roadmarkings are more cost
effective; however, a budget should be retained to implement targeted measures where high vehicle speeds persist
Whether borough main roads and TLRN roads are included in 20mph schemes should be decided based on the local context
At least 10% of the implementation budget should be set aside for a package of complementary ‘soft’ measures to foster cultural change.
Earlier this year we reported how the City of London became a 20mph zone.
The new limit is part of the City’s road danger reduction plan, something we first reported on in 2011, and has been reinforced on all the roads bounding the square mile with the exception of those in Westminster.
Upper Thames Street, which is a Transport for London road, remains 30mph, but other TfL roads, between Blackfriars Bridge and Farringdon Street and between Norton Folgate and London Bridge, are 20mph as part of an experiment into road safety.
It is thought that the scheme could reduce road casualties by as much as seven per cent.
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17 comments
There's a 20mph limit in Brighton in many places. The trouble is it is not enforced and you can regularly see people driving at speed in excess of 40mph in the town centre.
The fact is they only get to the next traffic light quicker !
It is time to have 20mph limits and even slower in some places but they must be enforced.
The other debate is should cyclists also be enforced to obey the limit ? ? ? ? ?
Cultural shift would need to include:
Obeying speed limits
Stopping for pedestrians on pelican crossings
Not gambling as traffic lights change to red
Not driving through red lights
Not using hand held cell phones and tablets (!!) whilst driving
Not driving into the bicycle box (asl) at traffic lights
Not parking in bicycle lanes
Its a lot to ask...but we did see a big shift in attitudes towards seats belts and drink driving?
".........There may be some benefit from trying to shift cultural attitudes but this will be a slow process and is not on it's own the answer. As it is I have never heard a single politician or decision maker speak out explicitly about the way many, many drivers behave. Until this changes aggressive enforcement will be the only thing that makes a difference.
JaseCD"
very well worded - it is an issue about attitudes and about societies norms:
school run = last minute kids must be on time
work = must be on time and have to ?? do school run first
deliveries = time is money but the cost of road accidents is?
lunch time errands = must get done not a lot of time, more employer flexibility/ less employee p - taking
school pick up = can't be late / school finish 30min slot not a specific time reading/craft/games
swim lessons = can't be late - why not? and why are kids clubs / sports stuff scheduled/located so that getting there by car is essential?
etc etc etc
actually if you leave 10 mins earlier then most of these aren't issues, if schools/clubs/employers were a bit more flexible (and good at sorting the genuine from the lazy and try on's)
then why speed? why not be courteous to old folk / cyclists / school kids? and if there were more sports facilities accessable by public transport/bike then kids wouldn't need to be driven there and if construction deliveries weren't on time penalties etc
bit random but it is about a change in attitude to getting stuff done
We've had 20 mph limits in most of Bristol for over a year (introduced by our Mayor). Buses don't observe it nether do taxi drivers, or even council van/lorry drivers or, I would estimate, do 80% of car drivers so it's a pointless waste of money. The police here don't enforce it here either.
We could bring back the stockade in the public square as a sanction for speeding / dangerous driving. No more this points and fines malarkey, just let us throw rotten eggs on the b*stards.
I do a silly amount of miles each year, mainly motorway but a fair bit of city driving too.
I make more time up by choosing the correct lanes around a town than the guys racing from one red light to another. 20/25 is definitely plenty.
Easy to write reports!
Much harder to find the political capital and hard cash to get the Police to enforce 20 mph limits.
We've had 20mph speed limit in LB Camden for nearly 2 years, its not enforced and local Police commander admitted in interview with Camden New Journal last year, that they don't have the resources to enforce it.
Effing waste of time, until social attitudes towards driving change...
100%
If you drive up Camden High Street at ±25 mph, you'll be passed on both sides as if you were stationary; and that's a busy high street with crowds of shoppers and tourists.
20 mph is pointless without enforcement.
All the talk above about explaining to drivers the benefits of lowering their speeds and improving the environments they travel through is pointless IMO - those with decency already drive with care and attention. It's the large minority who see others as an inconvenience and pedestrians and cyclists as second class road users who are the problem.
There may be some benefit from trying to shift cultural attitudes but this will be a slow process and is not on it's own the answer. As it is I have never heard a single politician or decision maker speak out explicitly about the way many, many drivers behave. Until this changes aggressive enforcement will be the only thing that makes a difference.
20mph is great in principle but it has to be enforced. I saw a driver trying to drive at 20 through a 20 limit last week with a van behind leaning on his horn then pulling off an aggressive overtake, followed by the car behind...
Sensible people already understand the need to drive carefully in residential areas but those who don't have any respect for the law or other people's safety won't change their behaviour because there's a few more signs around...
20mph is great in principle but it has to be enforced. I saw a driver trying to drive at 20 through a 20 limit last week with a van behind leaning on his horn then pulling off an aggressive overtake, followed by the car behind...
Sensible people already understand the need to drive carefully in residential areas but those who don't have any respect for the law or other people's safety won't change their behaviour because there's a few more signs around...
+1 - I even had some numpty trying to overtake me in a 30 limit when I was driving at 30mph. He was so wound up with trying to get past, he didn't notice there was a speed camera just ahead. Luckily for him, a car came the other way so he had to hang back. Once we were past the speed camera, he tried to overtake again but couldn't quite make it before we got to a pedestrian crossing, so he had to hang back again. The crossing is where a girl was killed a few months back, and there was another fatal incident earlier in the year. The idiot in the car behind is exactly the sort of person who causes crashes on dangerous stretches of road like that.
From what you are saying the road doesn't sound dangerous, just a lot of idiots use it.
How many roads are actually dangerous? I would say very few, how many are used by idiots? Far too many!
Hmm, could be a LOT of idiots use that stretch of road in S London. The crash rate is pretty high. It's Brownhill Road, part of the South Circular and just south of Catford for anyone who lives in London. It is a busy road but it has a 30mph limit. That doesn't seem to stop the steady flow of crashes. Two fatalities in less than a year with 1km of each other is unusual statistically, but I've been commuting along that route for some years now and I know the crash rate is very high indeed over the long term too. There have been other fatalities within a few hundred metres of where that girl was killed. The road isn't great, but it's not that bad. I've really no idea why there are so many crashes, and nasty ones too, but there are.
Hmm, could be a LOT of idiots use that stretch of road in S London. The crash rate is pretty high. It's Brownhill Road, part of the South Circular and just south of Catford for anyone who lives in London. It is a busy road but it has a 30mph limit. That doesn't seem to stop the steady flow of crashes. Two fatalities in less than a year with 1km of each other is unusual statistically, but I've been commuting along that route for some years now and I know the crash rate is very high indeed over the long term too. There have been other fatalities within a few hundred metres of where that girl was killed. The road isn't great, but it's not that bad. I've really no idea why there are so many crashes, and nasty ones too, but there are.
Bring on them Google cars/automated pods which take away "control" from those who can not control speed.
Maybe a better way would be to stop drivers being told to drive in high gear with low revs. Appropriate gear and engine speed for the situation perhaps?
If they actually enforce the law.