20mph limit for all communities ‘ is unrealistic’

A LONG- RUNNING inquiry into introducing a blanket 20mph limit across all towns and villages in North Yorkshire has concluded it would be “unrealistic in such a diverse and vast area”, but found more action is needed to improve safety outside schools.

North Yorkshire County Council’s transport scrutiny committee said while campaign groups had claimed a groundswell of support for the road safety measures that would see the largely rural county brought into line with some of its neighbouring urban areas, it should not be assumed that all residents would want to see 20mph speed limits introduced in every village or town.

The findings follow Road Safety Ministers from 130 countries adopting the Stockholm Declaration in February, which calls for a focus on speed management, including the strengthening of law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum 20mph limit in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner.

The declaration stated efforts to reduce speed in general would have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.

The North Yorkshire inquiry’s conclusions also follow numerous hearings since councillors agreed to review the county council’s 20mph policy dating to 2006,

amid claims that introducing lower limits off main roads in villages and towns would save lives.

While the authority’s leading members have highlighted how North Yorkshire Police would not enforce 20mph zones, campaigners, including ones from 20s Plenty, told the inquiry that the authority’s policy of restricting 20mph zones to residential areas, main shopping streets, roads fronting schools and spots where there is a high number of pedestrians, was outdated.

The inquiry’s report states that people might in theory be supportive of reducing speed limits, particularly in their local area, but in practice might be less likely to be so especially in other areas that they have to drive through with the increase in their travel times – the reverse of the ‘ not in my back yard’ effect.

The councillors’ report states they felt there was a need for pragmatism and a need to keep road users moving as efficiently as possible. It also highlighted the “need to continue to balance the interest of the full range of road users and the use of our highway network for leisure and work purposes”.

It states: “Regardless of whether there is now or in the future public support for lower speed limits, in order for speed limits to be effective they should reflect the nature of the road and in essence be ‘ self- explaining’. It is unrealistic therefore in such a diverse and vast area as North Yorkshire for there to be 20mph speed limits existing in all settlements where there are vulnerable road users, even if some exceptions were introduced.

“In North Yorkshire there is a downward trend in the number of killed or seriously injured relatedcollisions even though the amount of traffic is increasing.”

For speed limits to be effective they should reflect the nature of the road. Report by North Yorkshire County Council’s transport scrutiny committee.