20 mph Speed Limits
Although 30 mile an hour limits are usual in built up areas, councils are now choosing to drop speed limits in some areas to only 20 miles an hour.
Worcester itself has small 20mph zones centred around residential streets where local schools are located. Additional traffic calming devices in these areas, such as road humps, speed cushions, raised junctions and road narrowing have also been used to encourage traffic to move more carefully.
According to the Driving Instructor’s Association website, such speed limits are due to be set throughout the city of Oxford. The 20mph zone is to encompass all residential streets in a scheme reported by the Oxford Mail as costing £233000. The area has in the past two years seen 2 fatal accidents, 81 serious accidents and 583 slight ones. The scheme was backed by two thirds of residents in a survey (although only 146 residents actually responded).
Government spokesperson Isabel Field of the Department for Transport said the limit would be expected to be backed by police. DfT research on similar schemes in residential streets of Sheffield, Kingston upon Thames and Norwich as well as 450 smaller zones around the country have shown roads to become 67% safer for children, and 29% safer for cyclists when speeds were restricted. Although all encapsulating schemes such as the one proposed in Oxford are currently only used in London, Portsmouth, Leicester and Newcastle, statistics clearly show improvements in safety with these schemes, encouraging more councils to get involved.
So are we likely to see more 20mph zones in the local area? Clearly when these schemes are so expensive to create, councils will require statistical evidence of sufficient danger posed by traffic moving at higher speeds, in order to go ahead with further restrictions.
But local traffic authorities are now allowed to set up such zones without requiring permission from the secretary of state for transport, which means we can look forward to seeing more schemes popping up all over the country. As well as residential areas, guidelines state the 20mph limits can be used in town centres and rural areas such as forests. And perhaps surprisingly, where traffic flows on boundary roads have increased as a result of restrictions there has been no significant rise in accidents in the areas where the traffic has migrated.
But are 20mph limits really enforceable by law?
Government guidelines are currently that 20mph speeds are not enforced with fines or cameras but the DfT claim such limits would be expected to be backed by police, although there are limited guidelines on how this would be expected to be carried out. It is likely that fines would be handed out to drivers if police happen to be in the area although police are unlikely to set up speed trap in residential streets.
Colin Prickett a driving instructor in Oxford has stated the new restrictions there will only mean it takes people longer to get out of the city, so there will be more cars in the city at any one time causing chaos.
In order to answer some questions on what difference the limits will make, Mr Richard Clapham a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists test drove through the area of Oxford that is expected to be reduced to 20 mph. He was appalled to report that the speed reduction made his driving less safe. He was forced to concentrate more on his speedometer to maintain such low speeds on roads where additional restriction such as bumps and narrowed roads had not yet been implemented, and found overtaking cyclists very difficult at only 20mph. In addition driving at such reduced speed for any distance reduces fuel economy at a time when government are worrying about environmental damage and the public are trying to save money at all costs. In fact, changes to the new driving test are rumoured to include awareness on environmentally friendly driving, which surely contradicts the results of such speed restrictions.
Although internationally accepted statistics show 1mph reduction in speed results in a dramatic 5% reduction in casualties, such lowering of speed limits in areas not particularly proven to be dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists, may lead instead to increased frustration in drivers and increased accidents due to inattention to the road. Such limits would be better if backed by traffic calming methods to help motorists naturally reduce speeds
It is particularly important for new and learner drivers to be aware of the correct speed at all times. It is no longer sufficient to assume that in a built up area the speed will be 30mph. With schemes popping up all over the country to reduce speeds in residential areas, it is important at all times to be aware of the road and all signage relating to it. Drivers should be aware that in residential streets particularly with additional speed bumps and restrictions, the legal speed limit might be only 20mph and any faster speed could result in a fine and penalty points.
References:
www.DIA.com
www.dft.gov.uk
www.oxmail.co.uk
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The Coopers Driving School Team
