Association Chief Police Offices clarifies position on 20 mph enforcement

This is verbatim a letter that was sent to the APPCG co-chairs from the ACPO ‘Lead on Roads Policing’, Suzette Davenport, Chief Constable, Gloucestershire Constabulary on 6th March 2013.

 Julian Huppert MP and Ian Austin MP

Co-chairs
All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group
House of Commons, London SW1A 1AA

Dear Mr Huppert and Mr Austin

Clarification of the ACPO position on 20 miles per hour speed limits

I write further to the recent All‐Party Parliamentary Cycling group evidence session on ‘Get Britain Cycling’. ACC Mark Milsom represented the ACPO roads policing portfolio to address the group’s questions from a policing perspective.

Following a very specific line of questioning on the subject, we believe the police service position on the issue 20 mph speed limits requires further clarification. For accuracy, we would be grateful if you would reflect this correspondence in written evidence for your eventual report.

We can clearly state that it is incorrect to say that police officers are not enforcing 20mph speed limits.

20mph zones are predominantly introduced in residential areas where road safety has been raised as an issue by those who live locally. The approach of neighbourhood policing teams in every community is built around ensuring that local crime and disorder issues and concerns are identified, so that a police force delivers an appropriate policing response. This applies to enforcement of 20mph zones as to any other area of policing.

Police and Crime Commissioners are now responsible for setting strategic policing priorities for each police force and in areas where 20mph zones are a local concern, may include enforcement within local policing plans.

In most cases, 20 mph limits will follow Department of Transport guidance and include ‘road calming’ features such as speed bumps or traffic islands designed to slow traffic. Wherever possible, we agree with the Department of Transport that 20mph zones should be ‘self‐enforcing’ through the use of such features. The guidance states:

“Successful 20 mph zones and 20 mph speed limits are generally self‐enforcing, i.e. the existing conditions of the road together with measures such as traffic calming or signing, publicity and information as part of the scheme, lead to a mean traffic speed compliant with the speed limit.

To achieve compliance there should be no expectation on the police to provide additional enforcement beyond their routine activity, unless this has been explicitly agreed.”

ACPO speed enforcement guidelines (attached to this letter) include thresholds for enforcement across all speed limits, intended to underpin a consistent policing approach. Within that framework local police forces will take a responsible and proportionate approach to enforcement of 20mph limits based on their assessment of risk to individuals, property and the seriousness of any breach. Where drivers are regularly and wilfully breaking the law we would expect that officers will enforce the limit and prosecute offenders.
I trust that this sets out our position clearly. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Yours faithfully
Suzette Davenport
Chief Constable, Gloucestershire Constabulary
ACPO Lead for ROADS POLICING

DfT Setting Speed Limits - Positive news for rural speed limits

The government has published its latest guidance on setting speed limits. This is contained in DfT Department for Transport circular 01/2013 . This guidance is effective immediately.

Launching the guidance, Stephen Hammond in a written statement to the house said that the new guidance “incorporates recent changes that create more flexibility for authorities to implement 20mph limits and zones.”

The guidance recognises the benefits of 20 mph limits quoting a 5% reduction in accident rates for each 1 mph reduction in average speed. This accords well with a study from Hull which saw a 64% reduction in accident rates measured over the 3 years since implementation.

The new guidance encourages 20 mph limits in a number of ways :-
·         It identifies as priority for action that “Traffic authorities are asked to keep their speed limits under review with changing circumstances, and to consider the introduction of more 20 mph limits and zones, over time, in urban areas and built-up village streets that are primarily residential, to ensure greater safety for pedestrians and cyclists, using the criteria in Section 6.” (para 12)
·         It recognises the importance of the “composition of road users (including existing and potential levels of vulnerable road users)” as a key factor that needs to be taken into account. (para 30)
·         It recognises that “Fear of traffic can affect peoples’ quality of life and the needs of vulnerable road users must be fully taken into account in order to further encourage these modes of travel and improve their safety. Speed management strategies should seek to protect local community life.” (para 32). This para is particularly significant for Stoke Golding.

The guidance comes with an appraisal tool for measuring the benefits of 20 mph implementations in different circumstances. I understand the tool considers both accident and quality of life factors. I will be trying to get my head around this shortly. However I suspect we will not have all the data to run the model ourselves.

The circular also contains guidance on setting speed limits on rural roads which has significance for roads like Wykin Lane and Stoke Road. 

So this looks like great news for rural communities. Lets see how Leicestershire County Council respond.

You can see the full document here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits

Update from Parish Council Meeting

Barwell SUE

We presented the results of the traffic survey (see previous post) to the Parish Council at the January meeting and we discussed how we could move forward towards implementing a 20 mph limit. 

The Parish Council’s view was that the best route forward was to combine the 20 mph "requirement" with a consideration of the impacts of the Barwell SustainableUrban Extension (SUE) development. The Barwell SUE proposals will see 2,500 homes built on the south western edge of Barwell - a huge development. Because employment opportunities will not be developed until the final phase, there will be 2,500 households needing to go "somewhere" to work. The concern is that many of them will be heading our way using Stoke Golding as a "rat run". The Parish Council is planning to partner with the neighbouring parishes of Higham, Peckleton and Sutton Cheney to address this issue. The parish councils are now looking at the possibility of engaging a traffic consultant to help better understand the impacts and to propose how these impacts can be mitigated and managed. The Streets4All group will contribute to the terms of reference for this study and will be involved in the study and follow on work.

The Streets4All group agreed this is a sensible way forward based on the following considerations:
a) it is difficult to treat 20 mph limits in isolation of the Barwell SUE because of its major potential impact;
b) this is probably the best opportunity to find a source of funding for implementing change.

So this is not going to be quick (but it never was). But rest assured that we have heard loud and clear what the village has said and we will continue to work to make the streets of Stoke Golding safer and more liveable.

European Citizen´s Initiative "30kmh – making streets liveable!"

There is an EU wide "petition" to make 30kph (20mph) the default speed limit where people live.

If 1 million signatures can be collected in the next 12 months then the European Commission is bound to formally consider the proposal. You can find more details here  http://en.30kmh.eu/ 

The link for the petition (or more correctly the European Citizen's Initiative) is here https://30kmh.eu/oct-web-public/?lang=en 

It only takes a minute or two to complete and remember each voter in the household can sign.

20 mph in the press

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?

Streets4All Stoke Golding Traffic Survey Results

Thank you to everybody who recently took part of the Stoke Golding traffic perceptions survey. It has taken a while longer than we hoped to publish the results and because of the issue around the solar farm we have deferred meeting the Parish Council until 9th Jan 2013. We will report the outcome of this meeting in a future blog post. But on to the results of the survey ...

A random sample of Stoke Golding residents were asked whether they strongly agreed, agreed, were neutral , disagreed or strongly disagreed with the following statements:

1. I support the vision for Stoke Golding streets

2. Traffic volume is an issue within the village

3. Traffic speed is an issue within the village

4. I support the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit throughout the village

Our Vision

We have a vision of people friendly streets which are attractive and where young and old feel safe; where drivers behave responsibly and where people are happy to walk and cycle. We want our streets to be alive and vibrant where people can live and socialise.

We had a fantastic response. 150 households were surveyed and we achieved returns from 124 households (83% response rate) and 209 residents. Statistically this ensures that the results are representative of all residents plus or minus 5%. We would like to thank residents for taking the time to complete the survey and for both their written and verbal comments.

The results are compelling. The graph opposite shows the count of how residents responded to each statement. The standout is how strongly residents identified speed as an issue and supported both the vision and the introduction of 20 mph limits. There is still significant concern over traffic volume, but this is clearly considered a lesser issue than speed.

The counts were translated into agree, neutral and disagree percentages and are shown in the table below.

Statement	agree	neutral	disagree
1. Vision	77%	16%	7%
2. Volume	60%	19%	22%
3. Speed	76%	12%	12%
4. 20 mph	67%	11%	22%

So the residents of Stoke Golding have had their say and have told us loud and clear that speed is a significant issue and they want vehicles to drive more slowly, specifically at no more than 20 mph. We must respond to that mandate. Specifically we intend to push forward for the introduction of a village wide "sign only" 20 mph limit. The next step is to get the support of the Parish Council.

Watch this space for developments ...

20 mph speed limits FAQs

We hope you will find the necessary information to make an informed judgement about whether 20 mph limits are a "good thing" for Stoke Golding. These are some of the questions we have heard when talking to others. You may also like to look at this previous post which makes the case http://sgstreets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/20s-plenty-campaign-launched.html 

You will also find further reading here ... http://sgstreets.blogspot.co.uk/p/20-mph-reading.html

Why?

Why do you want to do this?

Our long term aim is that we want our streets to be a pleasant environment where we feel safe and where we can live, play and socialise. We want to be able to travel on foot or by bike if we choose. Calming traffic speed is crucial to this long term aim. Lower speeds have been shown to reduce accidents (and their severity) and at the same time they make for a more pleasant environment.

Will a 20mph speed limit make any difference?

This we know is a big challenge as it is about behaviours and culture as enforcement is very difficult. As more and more 20mph limits are introduced across the country it will start to become normal behaviour, but this will take time. In the short term, evidence in other areas shows signing alone will reduce average speeds but perhaps by 5 or 6 mph rather than 10 mph. We aim to support implementation with an awareness and education campaign – we are hopeful that we can persuade most local residents to drive at this speed.

Why Stoke Golding?

Stoke Golding is increasingly becoming a “rat run” particularly during the rush hours (you only have to look at Hinckley Road or Station Road). The planned major housing development at Barwell could make this significantly worse. We want these drivers to behave responsibly with respect for our village and residents. Traffic speeds particularly on the main thoroughfares remain very high as reported by residents and evidenced through the 2009 Speedwatch survey. Traffic was identified as a significant issue in the last village survey in 2007 - we don't believe much has changed since

Why now?

Recent changes to government guidance and legislation make it much easier to implement 20 mph limits. The tide is turning and 20 mph will start to become the norm where people live. We want to make sure that Stoke Golding is at the front of the queue.

Where can I find out more information?

There is a lot of good information on the internet. The “20s is plenty for us” website is a good place to start. We have tried to pull together what we consider to be some of the better references on our blog here http://sgstreets.blogspot.co.uk/p/20-mph-reading.html

Implementation

Do you have the support of the Parish Council and Leicestershire Highways?

We have spoken to the Parish Council on more than one occasion. They want to see that there is a mandate for this in the village. They are supportive of us carrying out the survey and have given an undertaking to listen to the views expressed by residents. We have also spoken to our County Councillor Ivan Ould who takes a similar position.

At this stage we have not spoken to Highways as we want to do this from a position of strength (i.e. with a mandate). We expect resistance, but mostly about funding . We will point out to them that government guidance asks them to consider implementing 20mph limits where people live, and we will want to explore ways in which implementation might be achieved.

How do you implement a 20 mph limit?

First of all a RTO (Road Traffic Order) is required to legally change a speed limit. Then it is just a question of signing. Signing is required at the start and end of the limit and then repeater signs are required at intervals along each street. Traffic calming is not required.

What does it cost and how would it be funded?

No two implementations are the same. However costs for other schemes have typically worked out between £2-4 per resident. As noted earlier this does not feature in LCCs current funding plan. However they have a 3 year rolling plan that is updated annually. Experience of other groups has been that money can be found if there is strong public and political support. Other County Councils (e.g. Cambridgeshire) have supported an approach whereby the local community raises the required funds and they implement the scheme.

Survey

How have you chosen who to survey?

We have all the addresses within Stoke Golding and have then randomly chosen 120 households to survey. Depending on the number of returns this should statistically give us around 95% confidence in the results

Why are you only surveying adults?

We would liked to have included children in the survey – in many ways they are more impacted by traffic speed than adults. However from a practical point of view we do not know how many children live in the village but we do know how many electors there are. By restricting the survey to adults we are able to statistically validate the results.

We would love to hear the views of children though (just email or phone) and would like to get them involved in our campaign. Later we would like to engage with children through schools and other community groups.

What happens next?

When we have collected the survey returns we will publish summary results on our blog. We aim to go to the December Parish Council meeting to present the results. If there is a clear mandate we will then be looking to meet with Highways to present our case. We will use our blog (and the Stoker) to keep people up to date with developments.