A lot of residents have spoken to me about the possibility of reducing the speed limit on their streets to 20mph. I asked the council for its view on 20mph zones and received the following reply from the head of transportation:
“The Council's current position on 20mph limits was agreed at the Planning and Transportation Committee on the 28th April 2003. Report 286-2003 concluded that advisory 20mph speed limits, or 20's Plenty Zones, achieve little in the way of casualty reduction and should not be implemented at the expense of targeted road safety casualty reduction schemes.
Almost all residential streets that we survey highlight that the average speed is typically low 20s (or lower) with most drivers driving in a considerate manner.
You will be aware that my Division has a procedure in place to prioritise sites for road safety measures. With this in mind, when a request for a 20mph speed limit is received, if there is a significant accident record, then the site will be assessed and prioritised alongside other road safety sites that have been identified.”
