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20 mph could make Crewe fit for the future

12/9/2012

1 Comment

 
Research from http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk shows that more than half of road deaths and serious injuries occur on roads with 30 mph limits. Speed limits on Britain’s urban roads are 60% higher than Europe. (30 mph compared to 18.6 mph.)  

Britain has the highest percentage of pedestrian road fatalities in Europe at  24%. 
and  one of the lowest levels of children walking or cycling to school in Europe. British parents consistently cite traffic speed as the main reason why their children are not allowed to cycle or walk to school. 

Lowering urban and residential speed limits to 20 mph has been found to increase urban journeys by just 40 seconds maximum. See  the "myth busting" page on "Slower Journeys"

At the same time it decreases child pedestrian accidents by up to 70%.

In Portsmouth the 20mph limit on all residential roads has reduced casualties by 22%. Pedestrians account for 24% of all road deaths which is one of the highest in Europe.

Only a few roads around Crewe are restricted to 20 mph, such as Ford Lane and the Nantwich Road. Regular users will know that this is only enforced by congestion. If all our residential roads were 20 mph drivers would adapt and speeding would become unaceptable.

According to the TImes last week, cities across the north of England are leading the way in demonstrating the future of urban bike travel. However, as city councils’ budgets are cut, building cycling infrastructure that saves lives could drag on for years.

Last week, on 1st Dec, ten cities threw their weight behind The TImes manifesto for Cities Safe for Cycling. They were Liverpool, Birmingham, Leicester, Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield and Belfast. Later, Brighton and Hove, Salford, Middlesbrough, Cambridge and London did the same.

Liverpool, Manchester, Leicester, Bristol and Brighton plan to extend 20mph zones across city centres. In London, police enforcement has been stepped up against careless road users.

In Manchester, the city council has already secured funding to tackle the dangerous junctions on the inner city ring road. In Salford, the city council plans to invest £1.2 million in improving cycle routes and safety over the next three years and plans to create five cycle routes to the Quays. A cycling route linking the northeast and northwest of Liverpool was also opened this month.

Would Crewe want 20mph? 
What costs and benefits would it entail?
How could we make it happen?





1 Comment
Jane
12/8/2012 06:34:17 pm

I agree with 20 plenty. At the moment I drive my children to school, but if I felt sure the roads were safer they would cycle

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    Some blogs are the personal view of the writer, Ben, not of ACT. Ben rides across Crewe every day for work or pleasure and is committed to making our roads places were adults and children feel safe to cycle.

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