Petition forces debate about 20mph scheme

12.00 | 14 August 2015 | | 10 comments

A petition calling on Bristol City Council to abandon the city’s 20mph speed limits has attracted more than 5,900 signatures which means the council will now have to hold a debate on the subject.

Bristol’s 20mph limits are being rolled out in eight phases, with seven phases now complete and the final phase scheduled to go live later this year.

Bristol City Council is promoting the scheme using the slogans ‘Bristol’s better at 20’ and ‘A little bit slower. A whole lot better’.

The council’s website about the scheme says: “Lowering the speed limit will help make the streets safer for all road users. Those hit by a car at 20mph are far more likely to walk away with bruises and minor injuries than those hit at 30mph.

“The 20mph project is not a stand alone project, other measures such as local safety schemes and pedestrian and cycle training at schools will also help improve road safety.”

The petition calling for the scheme to be abandoned reads as follows: “George Ferguson (mayor of Bristol) has wasted £2.3m of tax payers money to implement a completely ludicrous 20mph limit over most of Bristol which he intends to extend to the whole city. No driver objects to a 20mph limit near a school for example but a blanket roll out is totally absurd.

“We the undersigned are of the opinion that roads will only be made more dangerous with frustrated drivers and people watching the speedo rather than where they’re going!

“30mph has been in place for many years, and is the national speed limit because it is ample control in urban areas except for specific spots.

“Restore common sense and reverse this stupid waste of money. The Bristol public don’t need GF preaching this rubbish at the tax payer expense!”

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    Further to my previous comment, I see that this was covered by RSGB on the 13th May 2011, and that the reduction was over a 20 year period, and the 75% reduction was primarily achieved through pedestrian education. Might the Hull CC like to comment on what effects any 20mph limit has had on KSI figures over a similar period, or any period worthy of gleaning meaningful statistics from?


    Derek Reynolds, Salop.
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    I am sure that Hull’s alleged safety record of a 75% reduction in KSI would be of great interest to all concerned with road safety. Might the detailed records of before and after be available for perusal, the areas covered etc., and the time span of collected data?


    Derek Reynolds, Salop.
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    I received many calls from Bristol residents asking if the far fetched figures of a 50% reduction in KSI’s being attributed to Hull were true. There was genuine amazement when it was pointed out it was nearer 75% but in Hull the zones came with genuine calming methods. That’s a lot of people alive and healthy now that may not have been and to coin a phrase…someone’s father, someone’s son!


    Allan Robins, Road Safety Hull CC
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    Unfortunately it’s not going to be up to Rod. The initiative has been taken up, adopted so to speak, by this Government in its attempt to reduce accidents or at least KSIs to zero by 2020 as a requirement by the EEC. So where do we go from here. The local authorities are somewhat obliged to support this Government in this regard and so it has become a national and political problem and one being rolled out with some expediency and not really a road safety one.


    Bob Craven lancs….Space is Safe Campaigner
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    I call for evidence on everything Rod because evidence is all that matters. 20 limits were implemented with little confounding evidence being presented to the various local authorities which is why there are so many arguments still raging about them.

    In complex socio-technical systems such as road transport new ideas and new thinking are always welcome, but if those ideas have the potential for harm then they need to be approached with a great deal of caution. Evaluating the con’s as well as the pro’s with equal vigour is one way of exercising that caution and should be welcomed by all interested parties.


    Duncan MacKillop. No surprise – No accident.
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    Rod will that pending report stop or stall any further implementations of 20 mph limits… I think not. I think that with the money spent by 2017 it will all be to late….again.


    Bob Craven Lancs…… Space is Safe Campaigner
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    Honor
    We really welcome that and were lobbying the DfT for it some time before they decided. Whilst many local authorities have conducted their own pilots and found satisfactory results, a national review will be very beneficial when it considers all the implementations to date and their outcomes across a wide range of criteria.


    Rod King, 20’s Plenty for Us
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    The DfT are currently doing exactly that – due to report in 2017.


    Honor Byford, Chair, Road Safety GB, North Yorkshire
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    But Duncan, you seem to say that about everything!


    Rod King, 20’s Plenty for Us
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    Maybe a debate isn’t what’s wanted but a root and branch review of ALL the evidence both positive and negative.


    Duncan MacKillop. No surprise – No accident.
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