Councillors on the Communities, Transport and Environment panel have been looking at the performance of 20 mph speed limits in Bath & North East Somerset.
A report to this week’s panel outlined the impact of 20 mph limits on traffic speeds and on accident rates since 2011.
Councillor Neil Butters (Bathavon South) commented: “Widespread 20 mph limits in residential areas were introduced by the Liberal Democrat administration after a long campaign and consultation showing support from local people.
“By lowering speeds on residential roads we intended to improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists, encourage more people to make short trips on foot or by bike, and improve quality of life.
“The safety aspect is crucial and is supported by the British Medical Association (BMA). A highlighted statistic is that a child hit by a car travelling at 30mph has an almost 50% chance of dying; at 20 mph this drops to just 5%.
“The blanket limits were intended to help create a culture in which driving fast in residential streets would be seen as unacceptable – in much the same way that drink driving or not wearing a seatbelt is condemned nowadays.
“The complaints from residents to the Council about drivers not abiding by the limits seem to show that this culture change may have occurred; residents expect people to drive more slowly in their streets and are unhappy when limits are not respected.”
Councillor Richard Samuel (Walcot) added: “We have reviewed evidence, presented to the panel, showing that there has been a reduction in speeds on residential roads overall since the implementation of 20 mph limits and that fewer people are driving at higher speeds of over 26 mph.
“Indeed, no ‘treated’ streets have recorded average speeds over 30 mph, which is good news and shows the limits are having an effect.
“Unfortunately, the statistics on accident rates were inconclusive due to the small amounts of data available. We will have to wait for more information before reaching any firm conclusions.
“I will be particularly interested to see the results of the DfT’s national survey, which may be more definitive.
Suggestions that the Conservative administration had intended to roll back on 20 mph limits now seem to have fallen by the wayside and we hope that the new Cabinet member will show more enthusiasm for these safety measures.
“Lower speeds help to give the streets back to residents and the removal of the limits would doubtless be opposed by many.”