20mph zones ‘making roads more dangerous’

CREATING 20mph zones gives pedestrians a false sense of security and could make roads more dangerous, motoring campaigners have claimed.

New Scottish Government figures show that the number of road accidents in 20mph zones causing injury rose by 76 per cent between 2009 and 2013.

There were 3,164 deaths and injuries in 2013 compared to 1,795 four years earlier.

By comparison, accidents on all other roads in built-up areas fell by 17 per cent, from 153,965 to 127,438 in the same period.

Now critics of the 20mph limit claim that these statistics prove the low-speed zones lull pedestrians into a false sense of security.

Hugh Bladon, a founder of the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘This is the wrong way to go. Pedestrians and cyclists are lured into thinking things are moving a lot more slowly and are therefore safer.’

He added: ‘I have no problem with people driving at 20mph, or i ndeed slower, when kids are coming out of school and so on.

‘But to enforce this 20mph limit across the board is pandering to a few people who seem to think it will make the road safer.

‘The fact more people are being injured is proof they do not work.’

However, road safety campaigners, politicians and health experts insist that reducing the speed limit in built-up areas has considerable benefits.

Now there are growing calls for the zones to be enforced in more villages, towns and cities.

Edinburgh c ouncil c hi ef s recently announced plans to cut the speed limit on most of its roads.

Across the UK, 46 councils have 20mph zones, including cities such as Newcastle, Manchester, York, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.

But Edinburgh is expected to introduce the limit across most of its streets and if the move is approved later this month other councils may follow. Glasgow has 54 zones where the speed limit is lower than the normal 30mph and it is planning to introduce another 11.

Campaigners insist the zones are safer, saying that people knocked down by cars doing 20mph have an 87 per cent chance of survival, while most of those hit at 30mph are seriously injured or killed.

Rod King, of the 20’s Plenty For Us pressure group, believes motorists will embrace the zones as they become more common. He said: ‘Noise, pollution, travel and transport efficiency are all affected by the reduction of speed limits. Everybody wins if we reduce our speed.’

However, motoring groups claim that lower speeds raise pollution levels, as vehicles stay in less efficient lower gears to avoid breaking the law.

But re c e nt research challenged this view.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Lower speeds can ultimately lead to safer streets, which has to be welcomed.’

In November, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said the limit in all built-up areas should be cut to 20mph to reduce the number of children killed.

Their call came after a survey by road safety charity Brake found two in five children had been hit, or nearly hit, by a vehicle while on foot or a bike.

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