Twenty’s plenty in Ealing

A HUGE new swathe of Ealing’s roads will soon have speed limits lowered to 20mph.

The new limits introduced on roads between the northern borough boundary for Ealing and Ruislip Road will start from March 1.

It is the third phase of Ealing Council’s plans to make roads safer and allow a better flow of traffic with a reduced speed limit.

Works are currently underway to replace and introduce new signs to alert drivers about the lower speed through the borough.

A 20mph area was made permanent in Acton in 2018 after a successful one-year trial and in 2019 roads enclosed by the A406, A40, Greenford Road, Windmill Lane and the southern borough boundary became subject to the reduced speeds.

Ealing has joined several other London borough councils to opt for the low speed limit on the roads with Croydon, Haringey, Islington, Lewisham and Wandsworth among the boroughs leading the charge.

The major reasoning behind the move which may irk motorists in a borough with widespread car use, is that research shows reducing speed by just 1mph leads to a six per cent drop in road casualties.

In parts of the borough, plans like Live West Ealing are also trying to coax residents out of their cars for public transport, walking and cycling options.

Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council said: “We want our roads to be some of the safest in London and when this latest trial is implemented we will have 20mph zones covering the majority of roads in the borough, following successful trials over the least two years.

“Our residents overwhelmingly agree that road safety should be further improved and the introduction of this additional speed limit will help us do just that.

“It is vital that we encourage local people to reduce the number of journeys they make by car in favour of walking, cycling and public transport.

“It has been shown that when traffic speed can be reduced people feel safer and more positive about their local streets making them more likely to choose greener modes of transport – which improves air quality and helps us tackle the climate emergency.”