Bishopsgate in the City of London
The City of London’s plans to introduce a 15mph speed limit have been blocked by the Government, reports suggest.
The 15mph limit was first proposed back in 2018 as part of ‘radical’ plans to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists travelling in the Square Mile.
However, according to the MailOnline, the DfT has blocked the move, saying it would be difficult to enforce the new lower limit.
This is because not all cars have a speedometer which has each 5mph marked out on the scale.
Despite the rejection, reports also suggest that the City of London Corporation is planning to install ‘advisory’ 15mph signs along the roads within its jurisdiction.
They will not, however, be allowed to use the traditional circle speed limit signs.
To support its bid to implement a 15mph speed limit, the Corporation commissioned researchers to assess the road safety benefits of the proposal.
They found that the risk of someone being killed in a collision with a car travelling at 20-25mph was between 10% and 20%. This falls to between 2% and 5% when the speed is between 10-15mph.
We are back to the old issue of the difference between posted speed limits and actual vehicle speeds. Mind you, when there is a lot of congestion, people may wish to be able to go as fast as 15mph.
Pat, Wales
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