A third of roads in Manchester will become part of a 20mph zone covering more than 1,100 streets and 111 miles, as of Monday 18 August.
According to a news report in the Manchester Evening News (MEN), the 20mph zone could eventually be extended to all residential streets.
The new zones are being introduced under traffic regulation orders in a bid to improve safety, encourage more children to walk to school, make streets more pleasant to live on and cut air pollution.
The MEN says the two-year project has been paid for with £500,000 of public health funding, some of which will be used to raise awareness of road safety and encourage more people to walk or cycle.
The MEN also says that, according to a survey of residents, “nearly 80% of people think 20mph speed limits should be the norm around schools, in residential streets and in village, town and city centres”.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, who is leading on the project, said: “This is something that has been driven by residents of Manchester. They have asked for this and we have followed it up. There’s been a lot of interest and support from communities.
“There are three main pilot areas and eventually we would like all residential streets in the city 20mph, subject to funding.”
Rod King MBE, founder of 20’s Plenty for Us, said: “What is significant from a road safety perspective is the way that the new responsibility for public health is creating a far wider vision of how our streets can effect liveability, active travel and public well-being.
“Effective policies can in turn reduce the external costs of injuries, pollution, noise, and poor health.
“The more recent adoptions of ‘default 20, targeted 30’ limits have all recognised this public health aspect and none more so than Manchester where public health is funding these implementations.”
It’s not just the speed, though I believe that the more the speed the greater the damage and/or injury. It is also the distance between vehicles as well. Without drivers playing it safe and giving greater space and viewing and braking distance we will still have tailgating. Maybe even more with the slower speed. In other words, you correct one fault only to replace it with another. Albeit unknowingly.
Also at junctions, even with a residential or town centre street being restricted to 20mph, a driver will still accelerate to emerge into a normal speed limit street and into the path of whatever may be approaching. Maybe even more so due to frustration. Maybe the location of accidents will change due to persons avoiding such areas, thus creating more traffic and thus more accidents ouside of these selected areas. In my view ’20 is not enough’.
bob craven Lancs
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