Opinion is divided over 20mph zone

DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS TAKE OPPOSING VIEW OF PLAN

PLANS to reduce speed limits around Nottingham city centre have divided opinion among pedestrians and drivers.

A number of streets in the centre of Nottingham could become 20mph zones if plans put forward by Nottingham City Council are approved.

Major city centre streets where the limit is currently 30mph but could be reduced include Talbot Street, Shakespeare Street, Friar Lane and Peel Street.

The city council says the new speed limnit is a way to reduce carbon emissions and improve safety.

The council’s deputy leader, Councillor Sally Longford, said it was to “encourage sustainable travel, and make the city a more attractive place to walk and cycle”.

But the move has split opinion among the people we spoke to in Nottingham.

David Finch, 50, building security manager for property firm JLL at the Trinity Square car park, said reducing the speed limit would make the city centre much safer.

He said: “It’s a good idea. Cars could lose a bit of speed. Especially on this road [North Church Street].

“We see cars flying up here every day. There have been a few crashes and near misses.

“It’s people in the big expensive four-by-fours, and quad bikes. It’s a nightmare around here.”

And Michael Brown, 65, from Ruddington, said he was also in favour of the plans as a way of stopping drivers who go at “unbelievable speeds” in the city.

But others were more sceptical, including several taxi drivers, who said the roads were already too slow.

Cabbie Balbir Singh, 59, said: “30mph is slow as it is. 20 will be very slow and slow the traffic down. You can’t even do 20 around town most of the time. We’re always driving behind buses.”

While another taxi driver, known as Mr Dylan, claimed reducing the speed limit was simply a “moneymaking scam”.

He added: “I don’t believe that it’s about the environment. It’s nothing to do with that.”

Another taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said the current speed limit was about right, and that some drivers would ignore a slower limit.

He said: “It’s not going to stop the boy racers. They’re going to go over 30 anyway.

“I think 30 is fair. You can’t get anywhere at 20 miles per hour. There are a lot of traffic problems anyway. You get stuck behind traffic all the time anyway.

Pedestrians were more positive about the move, and welcomed the fact cars would have to slow down in the city centre.

One pedestrian, who asked to only be named as Molly, said: “It’s great. I usually use the tram when

I’m going into town. “The less car traffic the better, especially in the city. I think it’s a good plan.”

And another pedestrian said: “It’s always a good thing to reduce speed in a built-up area. As far as I’m concerned everybody drives too fast anyway so if they slow down that’s fine with me. “Anything that slows down traffic in a built-up area is good.” A formal consultation over the plans was launched this week, following an informal feedback exercise earlier in the year in which 71 percent of respondents said they felt reducing the speed limit on key city centre streets was the right move. Responses can be sent in writing to road.safety@nottinghamcity.gov. uk and should be received by Monday, September 27.

You can’t even do 20 around town most of the time. We’re always driving behind buses

Taxi driver Balbir Singh