Local authorities should be given the powers and resources to introduce 20mph zones much more widely, the transport select committee has recommended in a new report.
The cross-party group of MPs said the roll out of 20mph zones in urban areas had been a ‘slow and expensive process’, even though the safety benefits of lower speeds had been recognised by the Department for Transport.
The report, Ending the scandal of complacency: Road safety beyond 2010, commended initiatives by Hull and Portsmouth city councils to introduce blanket 20mph limits on residential roads, as well as ‘Do it yourself streets’ pioneered by Sustrans, but described them as isolated examples.
It called for more flexibility for councils ‘to avoid the prohibitive costs associated with some approaches’, and recommended that decisions on the balance of engineering measures, technology, policing and community influences be taken locally.
The report called for a new vision for road safety beyond 2010, underpinned by a strategy which explained how casualty reduction, danger reduction and other important policy objectives – such as a sustainable transport system, climate change and social inclusion – were integrated. ‘Widespread consultation is needed that takes in the complexity of these issues.’
It urges the Government to adopt a national target for reducing deaths, which is separate from targets for reducing serious injuries, and suggests a long-term casualty-reduction target of 20-25 years for the post-2010 strategy. It cites concerns by the Institute of Adanced Motoring’s Trust that 10-year target periods leave a ‘sense of hiatus until new targets are set’, because many elements of the targets are often met within the determined period.
However, on a local level there should be flexibility for councils to set their own additional road safety targets to suit local priority and needs, the committee recommends. These targets could include indicators other than casualties, given that ‘deaths are not necessarily a meaningful indicator of performance or priorities at the local level where the numbers will be small’. Reducing casualties in the most deprived areas, for example, might be a priority in some local authority areas.
The MPs also recommend the establishment of an ‘authoritative and independent’ road safety commission to ensure the Government gave high priority and adequate resources to road safety. • Ending the scandal of complacency: Road safety beyond 2010 : http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmtran/460/460.pdf
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
