Alison Hill, the leader of campaign group Cyclox, looks at the advantages of 20mph zones and says we need more of them.

Following the narrow Conservative victory in Uxbridge which was attributed to the public’s concern about ULEZ, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is considering banning councils from imposing 20mph as a way of demonstrating that he is on the side
of motorists.

Wales is the first country in the UK to legislate for 20mph to become the national speed limit in built-up areas.

This comes into force on 17 September 2023. The charity 20sPlenty says that 20 million people in England live in local authorities rolling out 20mph in residential streets.

The fact that no council has ever returned a 20mph street back to 30mph says a lot about how positively the reduction in speed is received by residents.

Trustworthy surveys of residents show there is strong support for 20mph in their streets. And 20mph limits work.

Even without traffic calming measures research shows that average speeds reduce when 30mph streets become 20mph.

In Oxfordshire creating 20mph streets in built-up areas is a key policy in the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan and the Vision Zero strategy (which is about eliminating deaths and serious injury on the roads).

20mph has proved very popular with local communities in Oxfordshire.

Parishes or town councils have to apply to join the scheme, having consulted their communities. Take a quick look at Oxfordshire County Council’s consultation portal and you will see that every month there are further proposals for 20mph zones in towns
and villages.

The roll out of the scheme is taking place over three years, and already 79 villages and towns have 20mph schemes, 20 are about to be implemented, and 60 are awaiting approval by the Cabinet Member for Highways in the autumn. That’s an impressive 159
villages and towns.

In Oxford City residential streets have been 20mph since 2010, following strong campaigning by local groups.

But main roads in Oxford are still 30mph and as most collisions take place at busy junctions on main roads (think of the last four tragic fatalities in Oxford, on Horspath Driftway, on London Road Headington, at Oxford Parkway Station, and on the Plain).
Reducing speeds to 20mph could be lifesaving. And why should residents on main roads not enjoy the benefits too?

There is clearly high demand for 20mph and for good reasons. Streets feel safer when vehicles are travelling at 20mph than at 30mph and the risk of fatality or serious injury at 20mph is much reduced compared with 30mph.

People are more likely to walk or cycle on streets where traffic is moving more slowly and for the motorist another benefit is that fuel consumption is less at slower speeds.

Implementing 20mph is within the power of local highways authorities, such as Oxfordshire County Council, granted by the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act.

If the government chooses to take action to ban 20mph it will require legislative change. Given there are so many other pressing issues facing our country and 20mph is popular it would seem unwise to give legislative time to trying to reverse a policy
that ultimately is good for neighbourhoods, good for health, makes our roads safer, and is very popular. Instead, 20mph should be the default speed limit for streets in built-up areas where people shop, live and work, as it will be in Wales in September.

Is that extra minute saved in journey time worth the increased risk of injury and death to other road users? We already have too many deaths on our roads in Oxford and Oxfordshire and putting in 20mph speed limits will save lives. We need more 20mph
speed limits not less!

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23715690.need-20mph-zones-says-cycling-campaigner/

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