Lancaster’s Green Party will be launching a campaign for 20mph speed limit on every residential road in the district at a public meeting on 21st October.
While some local residents joke that they’d be lucky to achieve a speed of 20 mph on some Lancaster streets, especially given the number of roadworks taking place at present on Penny Street and elsewhere, the potential dangers caused by speeding are no laughing matter.
A pedestrian hit by a car at 40mph has only a 15% chance surviving. At 30mph the chance increases to 55% but at 20mph 95% survive.
The current 30 mph default speed limit for urban roads was set in 1934, when there were less than 2m motor vehicles registered on our roads. It was done to protect cyclists and pedestrians and the ambiance of our towns and villages. Today there are over 33 million motor vehicles registered and campiagners argue the legislation is now way behind the times.
The Green Party is launching its campaign for a general 20mph speed limit for residential roads at a public meeting at the Storey Institute on Wednesday 21st October at 7.30pm. The guest speaker will be Rod King, national co-ordinator of the “20 is Plenty for Us” campaign (www.20splentyforus.org.uk) which has won widespread approval for this child-friendly limit.
The meeting is jointly organised by city councillor John Whitelegg and county councillor Sam Riches.
“If we want our streets to be safe and calm and considerate for children, older people and those with mobility difficulties a general speed limit of 20mph does the trick,” argues John. “20mph limits are already in place in many cities in mainland Europe and have produced massive reductions in deaths and injuries.
“It is time we had them on every residential street in Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham.”
Similar-sized towns such as Portsmouth, Oxford and
Norwich have already adopted a 20 mph limit, with Bristol and nearby Warrington piloting speed reduction schemes.
“In the recent county council election, I asked hundreds of residents in the area I now represent on the county council what they thought of a general 20mph limit for residential roads,” says Sam Riches. “Over 80 per cent said they really liked the idea.
“We should now follow the example of Portsmouth and Oxford and get on with it.”
The meeting will look at the success of 20s Plenty in other communities and how this can be cost effectively implemented in order to create a better quality of life for everyone in the district.
A report on 20mph speed limits in the Lancaster District will be presented to Lancashire Locals Lancaster – a body where both Lancaster City and lancashire County Council representatives discuss policy – at 6.30pm on 1st December and Green councillors will propose that this is adopted throughout the district.
In a 2005 British Social attitudes Survey around 75 per cent of people were found to be supportive of 20 mph speed restrictions in residential areas, including 72 per cent of drivers questioned. However only 43 per cent of drivers favour speed bumps.
• 20 Is Plenty Campaign: www.20splentyforus.org.uk