Last updated at 12:36, Monday, 28 December 2009

A safety charity has welcomed government proposals that would allow local councils to bring in more 20mph speed-limit areas.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has recommended that local councils implement the 20mph zones around schools, shops and parks, where the number of cyclists and pedestrians is high.

Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) was pleased by the draft guidelines, which would allow the speed limits to be used on more streets where traffic speeds are already low without the need for speed humps or other traffic calming measures.

Richard Hebditch, CBT’s campaigns director, said: “The Government is setting an agenda for 20 mph for the kinds of streets where we live, shop and work.

“Reducing speeds will not only lower the numbers of people, particularly children, who are killed or seriously injured on our streets each year, it will also reduce the impact of traffic in towns and cities and help to encourage more walking and cycling.”

The Government proposals were given a cautious welcome by motoring groups.

AA president Edmund King said: “We need to introduce a broad degree of common sense when dealing with speed restrictions.

“What we don’t want to see is local authorities adopting an over-zealous approach. We’re certainly not keen on blanket reductions but the AA and its members back the idea of targeted reductions.

“We also support 20mph zones where they are needed. But we would like to see more varied speed limits. A 20mph restriction around a school is fine at 8.50 in the morning but not so good at 2am.

“Local authorities must remember that we need roads for movement. They must be careful not to introduce limits that lead to drivers getting impatient and trying to overtake all the time.”

A report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that the introduction of 20mph speed zones in London reduced road injuries by more than 40 per cent over the period 1986 to 2006. It found the benefits were most marked in young-child accident rates, with deaths or serious injuries to children reduced by half.

The report also said pedestrian injuries were reduced by just under a third and cycling casualties by 16.9 per cent.

RAC director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “Any changes to speed limits need to carry motorists with them.

“Draconian blanket changes risk alienating drivers and wasting resources. Applied correctly, road safety measures save not just lives but money, and it is worth spending time and effort to make sure policies are appropriate and respected by drivers.”

First published at 12:20, Thursday, 24 December 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk