Bid for 20mph limit in all county villages

CAMPAIGNERS are rallying for support in their bid to see 20mph speed limits put in place in every rural Derbyshire village.

A community group made up of volunteers, would like to see the limits placed in urban streets where “vulnerable road users and motor vehicles mix”.

The campaign, 20’s Plenty, is being bolstered by members of local parish councils and community groups in Derbyshire. The Transition Town Chesterfield group states that more than half of the 40 largest local authorities have now put the limits in place, which involved installing road signs and markings to inform road users of the change.

The campaigners said: “Twenty miles-per-hour limits are affordable and have significant road safety, societal, environmental, economic and climate benefits. The benefits do not depend on there being regular police enforcement – any reduction in average speed will reduce danger from traffic, particularly to people walking and cycling.

“Twenty miles-per-hour limits prioritise quality of life, helping to create places where human activity – including walking, cycling and talking – takes precedence over traffic movement.

“[The speed limit] can be enforced by the police, like any other speed limit, but although enforcement increases the effectiveness of the 20mph limits, it is not essential to achieve worthwhile benefit. It is important to recognise that any reduction in vehicle speed reduces the risk of injury and death.

“People struck by a motor vehicle are at least five times less likely to die if hit at 20mph than 30mph. This increases to 10 times if the pedestrian is over 60 years old. Thirty miles per hour is like a third floor building fall, 20mph a first floor.”

They group claims there are numerous other benefits resulting from lower speed limits, including encouraging walking and cycling, improved public health, improved air quality, and quieter streets.

A spokesperson for Transition Town Chesterfield said: “If all villages and residential areas were 20mph then people would gradually learn that is the case in Derbyshire, making it easier to do and enforce – what we want is changes in societal norms re speeds.

“The only disadvantage is the upfront one-off cost of signage/ consultation (£5 per head in villages) but if this was done on a countywide scale this would have economies of scale and would pay back within a few months from reduction in casualties.” Isobel Shorrock of Quarndon Community Group said: “We know from our Neighbourhood Plan survey that the residents of our Derbyshire village regard traffic speeding as their major concern.

“During the pandemic we have seen walking and cycling in the village increase. This has given us a taste of how we can claim back our space when traffic is under control.

“For this to escalate and continue we need to reduce traffic speed.”