The Government is closely monitoring 20mph schemes in Portsmouth and Hull, amid growing pressure to take a firmer stance on reducing local speed limits.
Road safety minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, told Surveyor that the Department for Transport would consider clarifying guidance on implementing 20mph zones in urban areas if results of local schemes proved conclusive.
Portsmouth City Council is currently rolling out 20mph limits across all residential areas in the city, and such zones are active on 25% of Hull’s road network. He would not commit to a timeframe, but insisted ‘every measure was under constant review’.
The minister was speaking at the launch of a campaign, by road safety charity Brake, calling for 20mph zones in built up areas, especially around schools. The charity also released a survey revealing six out of 10 children do not feel safe even on roads around their schools, while three-quarters feel ‘plagued’ by fast traffic in their community. Brake also revealed that seven children in the UK are killed or seriously injured in crashes every day while walking or cycling.
Brake’s campaign adds weight to calls by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) to implement a default 20mph speed limit in all built up areas.
Robert Gifford, executive director of Pacts, said the minister’s approach was ‘very sensible and pragmatic’. He sympathised with Fitzgerald’s position because many local councils don’t want government interference, and hoped local authorities would take the lead on the initiative. ‘But it’s the Government’s role to keep a tab on what is happening and ultimately they should introduce firmer guidance,’ he told Surveyor.
Speaking at the launch of Brake’s campaign, Mary Williams, the charity’s chief executive, criticised the Government for ‘washing its hands’ of road safety by passing it on to local authorities. Local authorities also came under fire, because the most frequent excuse for not introducing child safety measures being that ‘there haven’t been any deaths’.
She said: ‘Central government guidance to local authorities to introduce child safety measures is not enough. ‘We will not rest until there are statutory 20mph safety zones around all communities – particularly schools and homes – comprehensive enforcement of these zones, and all drivers understand that is simply shameful to drive any faster in these areas.’
Brake is also calling for enforcement of all built-up speed limits through more speed cameras and development of satellite controlled in-vehicle speed limiters.
Final approval of time-over-distance cameras for 20mph zones is expected next year, and a spokesman for Transport for London said that a number of London boroughs, including Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, are keen to test them out.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
