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Issues Affecting Brickhill
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 20's
Plenty Campaign
A report by Peter Blakeman
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20 mph Speed Limits -
Government Directives
Local traffic authorities have had powers to introduce 20 mph speed limits
since the Road Traffic Regulation Act (Amendment) Order 1999 published in
July 1999.
This came about from the 1997 White Paper, ‘The Future of Transport’, which
included a commitment to develop a speed management policy that would take
account of the contribution of appropriate speeds to environmental and
social objectives, as well as to road safety.
The detailed review was published in ‘New Directions in Speed Management’
and ‘Tomorrow’s Roads – Safer for Everyone’.
The latest advice, Department for Transport Circular (01/2006), on setting
local speed limits encourages and supports local authorities to consider 20
mph limits in situations where there is a particular risk to vulnerable road
users. It states that successful speed limits should be generally
self-enforcing and although traffic calming measures are not mandatory, the
speed limit is unlikely to be complied with on roads where vehicle speeds
are substantially higher and has to take into account the level of police
enforcement required or available.
In November 2007 a Parliamentary Advisory Committee report on road safety
came out with a strong recommendation in favour of the implementation of 20
mph as a default speed limit in residential and urban areas.
Advantages of 20 mph Speed Limit
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70 per cent drop in accidents to child pedestrians if the
speed limit is reduced on residential roads.
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5 per cent chance of a pedestrian being killed by a car versus
50 per cent if hit at 30 mph and 85 per cent if hit at 40 mph.
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Driving in residential areas is far less stressful for drivers
once they slow down to an easier pace to co-exist with pedestrians and cyclists.
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With far less acceleration and braking by travelling at a lower,
more constant speed, vehicles run more efficiently creating less pollution.
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Nearly all northern European countries have 18.5mph as a maximum
speed in towns and villages. As a result children have far greater mobility with
most either cycling or walking to their local school and reducing congestion.
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Maximum vehicle speed has little bearing on total journey times
which are dependent upon junctions, delays, and finding parking space. Research
shows that a reduction from 30 mph to 20 mph will on average increase a 15
minute journey by just 60 seconds.
Current Situation
Since the government guidelines were changed, Portsmouth, Northampton,
Edinburgh, Hull, Bristol, Nottingham and many more towns have introduced blanket
20 mph limits on residential streets.
Bedford
Within Bedford, the Alexandra Road area is a 20 mph zone and the Black Tom area
is scheduled to be another area shortly (Public Notices issued August 2008).
Castle Road area residents have recently petitioned for a 20 mph zone and have
been promised by BCC that it will be entered into the 2009/10 works programme.
The Local Transport Plan 2006/7 – 2010/11 administered by Bedfordshire County
Council (BCC) had an action in 2006/7 to do advanced preparations for 20 mph
speed limits around schools to reduce children killed and seriously injured.
As a result BCC are carrying out a one year trial (during 2008) with 20 mph
speed limits at the beginning and end of the school day outside Mark Rutherford
Upper School in Wentworth Drive. If successful, similar schemes will be rolled
out elsewhere.
A fixed 20 mph scheme has just been introduced on a section of Church Lane next
to the shopping parade and Woodside Middle School.
In May 2008 a BCC committee meeting was told that the plan to get speed limits
reduced to 20 mph outside all schools did not have full police support. The
police will only support the move where such a speed limit would be
self-enforcing. Funding is however a problem and will have to be considered when
the new councils draw up their budget for 2009/10.
Peter J Blakeman 28/08/08
Local references
Bedfordshire County Council Local Transport Plan – 2006/7 – 2010/11
Bedfordshire Road Safety Strategy - 2010
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