Green councillors have asked that a general, system wide, enforced, 20mph speed limit be set for every residential road and roads through villages in the area covered by Lancaster City Council.
The request, partly inspired by the success of similar schemes introduced in cities such as Portsmouth, Norwich and Leicester, will go to the Lancashire Locals: Lancaster joint committee meeting of city and county councillors on 1st September at 6.30pm in Morecambe Town Hall.
The call comes at a time when recent statistics gathered for Lancaster’s ‘Health Profile 2009’ by the Association of Public Health Observatories indicate there have been 115 road injuries, including deaths, in the past year, against the national average of 54 (based on a rate per 100,000 population 2005-2007).
“Road safety – especially for children and the elderly – is a real concern for many residents,” argues Councillor John Whitelegg. “The overwhelming evidence is that fatalities and serious injuries are dramatically reduced when a 20mph speed limit is introduced and enforced. This has already been done in several other local authorities and in other countries.
“Our district has significantly more road deaths and injuries than the England average. An enforced 20mph speed limit will bring a massive improvement in safety to the district.”
“In the run up to the recent county elections I raised this idea with hundreds of residents in Bulk and John O’Gaunt and over three quarters of those asked supported it,” added Councillor Sam Riches, Green Party county councillor. I’m now urging the County Council to accept the idea and do it.”
The Greens are hoping that if their proposal is accepted, the 20 mph limit could be in place by March 2011
Lancashire Local-Lancaster District is a Joint Committee of the County Council and Lancaster City Council which provides a forum through which the County Council can prioritise its resources to best meet local needs and aspirations. Meetings of the Lancashire Local are generally open to the press and public.
Parish and Town Councillors, together with local people interested in specific agenda items, are able to have their say before decisions are taken.