Study in London finds wide area 20 mph limits have led to an INCREASE in average vehicle speeds
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Hot on the heels of revelations that accident rates have increased in some City’s where wide area 20 mph speed limits have been introduced now comes news that average vehicle speeds may also be increasing.
The main objection to the York Councils £600,000 programme of 20 mpg speed signs has been that it would have little, if any,effect on driver behaviour.
If the effect is neutral then there would be little point in throwing good money after bad next year when a new Council would have to decide whether to pay for the signs to be removed (other than from accident blackspots and locations like school entrances where there is a higher risk of an accident)
If any of the following tests are not satisfied the – post Labour – Council would have little option than to consult residents about changing the speed limits back to the default 30 mph
- If accident levels on areas, with the new limit, increase
- If vehicle speeds on the roads increase
- If police enforcement time is diverted way from other locations with a higher accident potential.
The York Council has been reluctant to report on the effects that the wide area speed limit in the Bishopthorpe Road area have had.
A Freedom of information request will reveal whether average speeds have reduced and to what extent.
Residents will also want to know whether any of the, increased number of, serious accidents which occurred in the City last year took place on roads with a 20 mph limit. (Most accidents in the York area occur on trunk roads or are slow speed impacts in the City centre).
All in all it seems to be time for the Council to provide residents with more feedback on their controversial project..
Your headline is wrong.
This was a FOI request from a single person who found that on some of the principal roads then speeds went up slightly between 2012 and 2013. There was no causality established and a far greater number of roads reduced their speeds.
I would also point out that these were principal roads which are different from York’s 20mph implementation which excludes principal roads.
The headline is correct. This refers to an FOI request which we have submitted to the York Council
Your heading was and is “Study in London finds wide area 20 mph limits have led to an INCREASE in average vehicle speeds”
Perhaps you could explain why Liberal Democrat Councillors in York are so opposed to wide-area 20mph limits when you know that your colleagues around the country are working with Labour and Conservative councillors to provide the vision for a better urban realm.
Things really have moved on from the previous century when your then leader took up his position opposing wide-area 20mph limits. Its time for Lib-Dems in York to move into the 21st century.
[…] Subsequently, as we now know, the new limits have had no effect on traffic speeds. […]