The National Living Streets organisation is promoting 20 mph as the default speed limit in residential areas, with 30 mph, 40 mph and 50 mph limits reserved for just a few major roads.
We have been campaigning for this to be implemented on the Wirral and in Chester.
On 1 March 2010, Wirral Council agreed to fund comprehensive 20mph zones in residential areas.
Its budget for 2010-11, Item 10 (Improving Road Safety) reads
Comprehensive 20mph zones in residential areasThere will be signs at the start and end of the 20 mph zones with small repeater signs along the 20 mph routes. Additional physical measures such as speed humps will not be needed.
The revenue sum of £275,000 be allocated to a rolling four year £1.1m programme to reduce traffic speeds both in residential areas and outside schools, where there are higher numbers of vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. Cabinet notes that reducing traffic speeds helps reduce the number of accidents and their severity.
This four year programme will phase in statutory 20mph speed restrictions in non major routes in residential areas across the borough. It will also implement (following the introduction of regulations from the Department of Transport) variable time specific 20mph speed signs to be used outside schools on through routes where casualties have occurred, the the signs in use at key times in the school day.
See press release at http://www.wirral-libdem.org.uk/News/PRESS%20RELEASE240210.htm
See also the 20's Plenty for Wirral website
Join the Facebook group
20 mph Campaign Material
From living streets website
www.livingstreets.org.uk/what_you_can_do/content/20mph.php