Reducing traffic speeds on our streets is the single biggest measure that will make them safer, more vibrant and social places.
If you are hit by a car at 35 mph, your chance of survival is 50%.
At 20 mph, your chance of survival leaps to 97%.
Local authorities now have the power to introduce 20 mph limits on streets where we live, work and shop.
Tell your council you love 20 mph
A 20 mph speed limit can...
- Increase road safety by reducing the risk and severity of collisions
- Get more people walking and cycling, and create more social streets
- Cut pollution from exhaust fumes
- Smooth traffic-flow by reducing stop-start driving
- Reduce traffic noise.
But won't it take longer to get around? And what about the cost?
These and other questions are answered in our 20 mph myth buster.
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Will it take me longer to get around at 20 mph?
No. Lower speeds increase road capacities, as the bunching effect at junctions is reduced as traffic flow improves. That’s why urban motorways are often 40 or 50 mph, as opposed to 70 mph. Even an urban journey of three miles, taking 30 minutes in a 30 mph limit, was shown to only increase to 33 minutes in a 20 mph setting.
Do car drivers want a 20 mph speed limit?
The 2011 British Attitudes Survey demonstrates that well over two-thirds of us, including motorists, would like a 20mph speed limit in the streets where we live. In Portsmouth, over 40 per cent of respondents stated that since the introduction of 20 mph, there has been a safer environment for walking and cycling. Around a third of respondents noticed an increase in pedestrian and cyclist activities in the local area.
Surely it’s impossible to enforce 20 mph speed limits?
The police are obliged to enforce all speed limits. The evidence is that drivers drop their speed when a 20 mph limit is enforced. 20 mph should become largely self-enforcing, as good drivers obeying the limit will act as a restraint on others exceeding it. In Portsmouth, streets where average speeds were previously higher than 24 mph, decreased limits have helped reduce speed by an average of 6.3 mph (http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/speed-limits-portsmouth/). This occurred without the need for any extra police enforcement.
How can local authorities afford to introduce 20 mph in this economic climate?
Road traffic collisions are an enormous drain on the economy, costing the UK £18 billion every year. The 20 mph zones in London are estimated to already be saving more than £20 million in crash prevention anually. The cost of road signs is remarkably low. For example, Portsmouth converted 1200 streets to 20mph for just over £500,000 – far cheaper than the alternative ideas put forward, which came to £2.2 million. It’s roughly seven times more cost effective, in terms of speed reduction achieved, to introduce a 20 mph limit across a wide area, than to spend the same sum on isolated, physically calmed zones.
Not only that, but introducing lower speeds has proven to yield positive results for local businesses. Campaigning stalwart Caroline Russell and Living Streets media volunteer Sophie Coleman 'vox-popped' business owners and employees in two areas of Islington to find out what they thought of the proposals for 20 mph speed limits on all roads in the borough - and the results were positive. Editing by Ian James - www.ianjam.es
Sign up to post your own updates and find out what other people are talking about as part of this campaign
If 30 means 40, then does 20 mean 30 …
I am moving this Update - I put it in the wrong place it should be in here!
Telling lies to our children that could cost them their lives! Every parent and every person of a sound mind wants our children to safe and is able to play safe. Here I want you to imagine that a child seeing a street with a 20 mph sign on it can assume they are in a safer environment than that of a busy road or main road. For them we are telling them here traffic is moving slow because the law says so. That child then may assume they are safe to play.
The truth is they are more at risk than on ordinary streets due to very few and I mean very few of us drivers are sticking to the law. Not only are the majority of drivers braking the 20 mph speed limit but are driving on these roads at in excess of 30 or I have seen in excess of 40 mph. How long will it be before there are deaths?
How do we enforce 20mph speed limits? Especially in Camden where they will start being introduced.
Please sing our petition and comment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19918183
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/20-mph-speed-limit-and-zebra-crossin...
Our local policeman says that the 20MPH speed limit is not enforceable by them. Whether this is so or whether they simply do not want the job, your guess is as good as mine. They claim that much of the law enforcement has been taken away from them and given to local councils regarding parking etc. It is an area they prefer to keep dark about as it means less work for them and the bosses don't care as they drive around by car anyway. I think that they all need a bomb put under them. This is a figure of speech and not a bomb threat. lol
We have pleaded with our District Council for over 3 years to reduce the speed limit in our village to 20mph (at present 30mph), on the grounds that the present situation is dangerous to pedestrians.
The village is on a narrow lane (4.0 metres wide in places) which is a through road and used by other villages for accessing the A14 and A1(M). There are no footpaths at all in the village, or on the through road anywhere!
The Council did provide a sign at either side of the village "Warning. No footpaths for the next 11/2 miles" which as they are no footpaths anywhere anyway is a bit of a laugh!
It amazes me that there has not yet been a serious accident on this road.
Richard Howitt.
we have been unsuccessful in convincing our council (Scottish Borders Council) that our village would be safer with a 20mph limit despite wide support. It seems that until there is an accident in the village, there is no risk.
Such a simple idea to save lives
Front page of the Argus in Brighton & Hove is ALL about 20 mph zones. Headline is "Plans to cut speed limit on EVERY residential road".
I live in Southwark in Gipsy Hill, and have lately moved here from Herne Hill. I signed up to the campaign and am very pleased to support it. After completing the email to my local councillors, I got a response! But now I need help. They want to know which roads in Southwark I have particular concerns about? Can anyone help me by sending me your concerns? I sent the email as I am generally supporting the campaign, however have not got the particular knowledge about my local streets. I would like to reply to this email with a good response! Thank you.