Congratulations to the people of Leicester, many of whom are welcoming news that the streets where they live will be made safer through the introduction of 20mph limits. Leicester City Council is the latest in series of local authorities to recognise the significant benefits that 20mph deliver to communities. They plan to lower the limit on more than 100 residential streets, after a huge 84% of residents voted in favour. Just two weeks before, Islington Borough Council announced an extension of its 20mph scheme onto main roads, following a groundswell of support from residents; it had already made its side-streets 20mph earlier this year, making it London’s first 20mph borough.
The campaign group 20′s Plenty for Us estimates that seven million UK people now live in towns and cities that have adopted a policy of widespread 20mph limits, and this is growing. This is purely down to an increasing recognition among authorities and the public that 20mph limits prevent casualties and make communities more pleasant places that are more conducive to healthy, green lifestyles. It’s a recognition not only of evidence that 20mph limits mean fewer casualties (especially among people on foot and bicycle) but also of where our priorities should lie – that we should be putting the well-being of people and communities before traffic.
Those local authorities that have made the switch to 20mph are pioneers, going over and above current government guidance on local speed limits. At present, this guidance is in many ways discouraging and prohibitive on lowering limits, saying multiple conditions should be met and other options considered first. We hope a review of this guidance, currently being undertaken by government, will set that right, in line with the benefits we know lower limits deliver.
And we hope to see this wave of widespread town-, city- and borough-wide 20mph limits gathering pace. It’s especially encouraging to see in Liverpool, for the first time, the public health authority part-funding a big extension of the city’s 20mph limits. It makes sense given the huge burden placed on health services by road casualties and unhealthy, inactive life-styles. This kind of joined-up, bold and forward-thinking approach by authorities could have a revolutionary impact on the health, safety and well-being of local people; we hope more authorities across the UK will follow suit, and we continue to support the communities pushing for this change.
Read more on Brake’s campaign for 20mph limits
