20's Plenty For Us: Norwich Councillors unanimously vote for 20mph limit

20's Plenty for Us

Tuesday, 26, Feb 2008 12:00

Norwich could be the next city to implement 20 mph as a blanket speed limit on all residential roads. Earlier this week councillors from all four political parties backed the blanket speed limit as one of the council’s key aims for 2008/9.

Rupert Read, Green party councillor for the Wensum ward raised the amendment and said the lower speed limit would improve safety and reduce pollution in the city. He said :

“When you have people on safe streets they are far more likely to walk or cycle on those streets. This is a consensual item across the chamber. The vast majority of us have thought for a long time the 20mph limit across the city should be put into place.”

20’s Plenty For Us notes that this was a unanimous decision by council members from all parties. It indicates that the community support for 20 mph in residential roads is being recognised by local politicians as a universal benefit regardless of party colour.

Norwich City councillors have given a very clear indication to Norfolk County Council (who are the traffic authority for Norwich) regarding their community aspirations.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety says Britain's annual 3,100 road death toll would be cut by two-thirds to around 1,000 a year if all residential areas had 20mph limits. Britain’s default speed limit of 30 mph is 60% higher than that throughout most Northern European towns where far more citizens enjoy the opportunity to walk and cycle in greater safety. At the same time UK pedestrians form a greater percentage of road fatalities (21%)1 than any other EU country.

Rod King of 20’ Plenty For Us said :

“This reflects the cultural change which has already been taking place in the UK. An increasing majority of the population now wants slower speeds in the streets where they live. The Audit Commission recently reported that 72% of drivers wanted 20 mph as the maximum speed for residential roads2. Recent changes in Department of Transport Guidelines on setting local speed limits enable this to be done without the necessity for physical calming.

It is great to see councils such as Norwich following the lead taken by Portsmouth and London in implementing 20 mph as a residential default speed limit. Local Authorities who maintain 30 mph as a default limit will be unnecessarily contributing to deaths in their own communities and Britain maintaining its European lead in pedestrian fatalities.”

20’s Plenty For Us campaigns for Local Authorities to implement 20 mph as a default speed limit in all residential areas.

Web www.20splentyforus.org.uk

Publicity and Press publicity@20splentyforus.org.uk

Tel 07973 639781

1 European Road Safety Observatory – Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2006 – Pedestrians, Table 3

2 Audit Commission (2007) Changing Lanes: evolving roles in road safety, Audit Commission, London p15