18/12/2009
Wider Use Of 20mph Zones
New proposals to allow councils to put in place 20 mph schemes over groups of streets without the need for traffic calming measures such as speed humps had been announced by Road Safety Minister Paul Clark.
The government is encouraging local councils to introduce 20 mph schemes into residential streets and other roads where cycle and pedestrian traffic is high, such as around schools, shops and parks.
In the past, councils wanting to implement 20 mph schemes on groups of roads have had to do so in 'zones' which require traffic calming measures such as speed humps, while 20 mph limits without traffic calming were only recommended on individual roads.
However, following a successful city-wide trial in Portsmouth which suggested it is possible to significantly reduce speeds on residential streets without speed humps or other traffic calming measures, the Department for Transport plans to allow 20mph limits to be used across more streets where traffic speeds are already low without the need for such measures.
Minister Paul Clark said: "The number of people killed and seriously injured on Britain's roads has fallen by 40% since the mid-1990s and Britain now has the joint safest roads in the world. But too many pedestrians and cyclists – including many children – are still being killed or hurt on the roads around their homes and schools.
"We have seen that 20 mph zones with traffic calming measures can make a real difference to the safety of local roads."
He continued: "Allowing councils to put in place 20 mph speed limits on more streets without speed humps or chicanes will mean that they can introduce them at a lower cost and with less inconvenience to local residents."
Last week a report published in the British Medical Journal found that 20 mph zones in London had led to a dramatic reduction in the number of accidents in those areas and called for more 20 mph zones and limits to be put in place.
(PR/KMcA)
The government is encouraging local councils to introduce 20 mph schemes into residential streets and other roads where cycle and pedestrian traffic is high, such as around schools, shops and parks.
In the past, councils wanting to implement 20 mph schemes on groups of roads have had to do so in 'zones' which require traffic calming measures such as speed humps, while 20 mph limits without traffic calming were only recommended on individual roads.
However, following a successful city-wide trial in Portsmouth which suggested it is possible to significantly reduce speeds on residential streets without speed humps or other traffic calming measures, the Department for Transport plans to allow 20mph limits to be used across more streets where traffic speeds are already low without the need for such measures.
Minister Paul Clark said: "The number of people killed and seriously injured on Britain's roads has fallen by 40% since the mid-1990s and Britain now has the joint safest roads in the world. But too many pedestrians and cyclists – including many children – are still being killed or hurt on the roads around their homes and schools.
"We have seen that 20 mph zones with traffic calming measures can make a real difference to the safety of local roads."
He continued: "Allowing councils to put in place 20 mph speed limits on more streets without speed humps or chicanes will mean that they can introduce them at a lower cost and with less inconvenience to local residents."
Last week a report published in the British Medical Journal found that 20 mph zones in London had led to a dramatic reduction in the number of accidents in those areas and called for more 20 mph zones and limits to be put in place.
(PR/KMcA)
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149 mph Tops List Of England And Wales' Speeders
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13 January 2012
Man Sentenced To 20 Years For Burying Fiancée Alive
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Man Sentenced To 20 Years For Burying Fiancée Alive
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12 October 2005
Campaigners call for lower village speed limits
Rural campaigners are urging the government to introduce 30mph speed limits in villages. A survey by the Campaign to Protect Rural England found that 70% of county councils are not implementing a 30mph speed limit in villages. In Buckinghamshire, the researchers found that over 100 villages had a 60mph speed limit.
Campaigners call for lower village speed limits
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'172 mph' driver arrested
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A driver has been arrested on suspicion of driving at 172 mph on an A-road in Oxfordshire. Police clocked 33-year-old Tim Brady driving a borrowed Porshe 911 Turbo at 172 mph near Abingdon. A car lease company in Abingdon said that an employee had resigned after it emerged he had taken the £98,000 Porche without permission.
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