The Independent has been talking about 20 mph limits. Their editorial from a couple of days ago is below and a more in depth article here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-20mph-revolution-millions-of-drivers-face-lower-speed-limits-as-new-laws-sweep-the-country-8434292.html
Note their own survey found greater than 60% support which accords with our own survey here in Stoke Golding
Editorial: The Logic of 20 mph
That more
than a third of local authorities have either already instituted a 20mph speed
limit on some residential roads, or have plans to do so, can only be applauded.
And with public support for more stringent restrictions in built-up areas now
running at more than 60 per cent, as reported by this newspaper this week, it
can only be hoped that 20mph will soon become the new normal.The most compelling argument is, of course, the
question of safety. Not only do drivers travelling at slower speeds have more
time to react. The damage inflicted by hitting a pedestrian at 20mph, as
opposed to 30mph, is also markedly reduced. Indeed, the human skull's ability
to withstand impact drops sharply beyond 20mph, perhaps because that is our own
top speed.Statistics on accidents point the same way. More than half
of deaths and injuries occur in 30mph zones, so the effect of a blanket 20mph
limit in residential areas would be far from marginal. It might also help shift
Britain from the top spot in the European league for
pedestrian fatalities. Indeed, with the most recent figures showing sharp rises
in accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists (up by 5 per cent and
9 per cent respectively), it is difficult to argue convincingly in defence
of the status quo.
Safety is, however, not the only consideration here. There
are also broader environmental benefits. Motorists' reservations might be
shaken, for example, when they consider that traffic is more likely to keep
flowing if cars maintain a steady (albeit more leisurely) pace, rather than
moving faster but braking more often. Pollution – both noise and particulate –
also noticeably decrease at slower speeds.There is a downside, of course: journeys may take slightly
longer. But it is a matter of less than a minute, on the average urban journey,
when congestion, traffic lights and so on are taken into account. Set against
the trauma of broken bodies and ruined lives, a few seconds longer in the car
is surely a price worth paying?
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