20’s Plenty for 2009 - TrustNews March 09
At the start of 2008 there was only one local authority in England that had decided that the 30 mph default speed limit for built-up roads was no longer appropriate for the streets where people lived. Portsmouth was the first and then only local authority to implement an authority-wide 20 mph speed limit on all but arterial and main roads. This had been phased in over 6 sectors of the city and the last sector was completed in March 2008.
Subsequent to that, the 197,700 inhabitants of Portsmouth have been joined by another 765,000 people living in Norwich, Oxford, Newcastle and Leicester who have decided that the 74 year old 30 mph default speed limit set in 1934 when there were just 2m motor vehicles on the roads, is no longer appropriate when this has now increased to 33m.
And this developing quest for a more civil way of sharing our public spaces we call roads is being considered in town halls up and down the country as they respond to community wishes to create an environment that provides far great equity and safety for those who wish to walk or cycle on our roads, or even simply pass the time of day chatting on the pavement.
People throughout the country have started to recognise that we are getting our transport priorities wrong. 20 mph for residential roads is seen as the key catalyst in the debate on how we use our roads. For if we dare not set a responsible speed limit for the roads where people live then how can call ourselves a civil society if those who wish to walk or cycle feel threatened by high traffic speeds. And yes, the reality is that whilst 30 mph may “feel” slow from the inside of a motor car with seat belts, airbags and up to 2 ton of metal designed primarily to protect the occupants, 30 mph is too fast when you are a child, or infirm and just inches away from the edge of the pavement. We need to widen the number of communities who have taken the decision that 20 mph is the right speed where people live and that they should only “speed up” to 30 mph where its safe to do so.
The aspiration for a more civilised sharing of the roads is the sign of a culture which has already changed. Of course there are a vocal minority of Mr Toad’s who want everyone to get out of their way, and the “slow to change” local authority establishment who find it easier to say “why they can’t” rather than “how they can”. But mainstream opinion, including 70% of drivers, is that 20mph is the correct speed limit for residential roads. It’s time, after 75 years, to dump the 30mph default speed limit set in 1934 and set a new default of 20 mph for all non-arterial roads in our towns and cities.
- A limit that is in tune with community aspirations for a more equitable sharing of roads.
- A limit that encourages modal shift to walking and cycling.
- A limit that protects the young, the walker, the cyclist, the elderly, the disabled, and enables them their rightful mobility.
- A limit that reduces pollution through calmer driving without constant acceleration and braking.
- A limit that reduces noise.
- A limit that provides a calmer living environment for all residents.
(Extracted by John Edwards from a message posted on Internet discussion group forums in December 2008 by: Rod King, 20’s Plenty For Us, www.20splentyforus.org.uk )
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the Trust. What do you think?