20mph limits cut speed, crashes and casualties in Portsmouth

The first city in the UK to introduce 20mph limits on almost all residential streets has seen very encouraging results published in an interim report (Surveyor 1/10/09).

In March 2008, Portsmouth completed a nine-month programme to implement signed-only 20mph speed limits on 410 of its 438km road network.

A report commissioned by the DfT has revealed that on roads where the average speed before the scheme was above 24mph, a reduction of seven mph has been achieved. This change was described in the Atkins report as ‘statistically significant’.

The report also found collisions dropped by 13% and the number of casualties by 15%.

Duncan Price, branch head of road safety at the DfT, said there was ‘general support’ for a ‘substantial expansion of 20mph areas’.

Simon Moon, Portsmouth’s head of transport and street managements, said: “This interim report is limited in what it can say about the 20mph scheme – we’ll have to wait until it has been running for three years before we get the full picture.

“But there are some encouraging signs, especially on roads where speeds were significantly higher than 20mph when we imposed the new limit.”

Darlington Cycling Campaign has been calling for a similar scheme to be introduced in the town at our AGM in February 2007.

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20MPH in Darlington Getting Closer

Darlington Cycling Campaign's policy of a 20mph speed limit for the town is a step closer to becoming reality.

Proposals to bring down speed limits in areas of Britain where there is a higher risk of accidents have been announced by the government.

Reductions from 30mph to 20mph in urban locations and 60mph to 50mph in the countryside are being considered.

Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the way people learn to drive and are tested is also set for reform.

The plans are part of a new strategy to reduce road deaths in England, Scotland and Wales by one-third by 2020.

Places such as Newcastle, Portsmouth, Oxford and Leicester already use 20mph speed limits in residential areas, and other local councils will be given new guidance to cut speed limits in residential areas and outside schools.

Darlington Borough Council have been introducing 20mph zones in selected residential areas, but have been hampered by a "can't do" mentality amongst local professionals, who for example cite the need for regular signage and speed bumps as a barrier to the wider use of 20mph.

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20mph Zones - Now Politically Attractive?

Rewind back nearly two years to our call in February 2007 for Darlington to introduce a town wide 20mph zone. At the time we were told the whole idea was "impractical" by our Labour-controlled local authority.

Now Lib Dem run Newcastle upon Tyne are rolling out a programme of 20mph zones that will, over three years, result in a blanket 20mph speed limit for all non-trunk road streets. Given the experience in this Sustainable Travel and Cycling Demo Town of ours, you would imagine the Labour opposition in Newcastle would be crying "impractical"?

Far from it. The Lib Dem council has been criticised by Labour for being too slow off the mark. In fact, the Labour Group called for such a scheme in April 2006. Labour leader Coun Nick Forbes said:

This is exactly what we called for two years ago. The Lib Dems would have saved a lot of time and money by accepting our proposals at the time. I’m delighted they’ve finally seen sense.

Answers on a postcard, please, as to why Sustainable Travel Town status gives us more backward policies than towns and cities without.

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Five new 20mph areas

Five areas of Darlington are to benefit from new speed restrictions in a bid to improve road safety.

From September, a 20mph limit will come into force in Bank Top, Lascelles Park, Red Hall, the Corporation Road area of the Denes and Oakwood Drive estate.

- The Northern Echo: Residents help shape new reduced speed limits

It must only be a matter of time before we see a blanket urban 20mph speed limit.

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Cyclists are better shoppers than motorists

Baggage
Originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness]

Cycleliciousness has another great post on why cyclists are better shoppers than motorists


Some stats from the post:

* Cyclists purchase smaller quantities each time they go, but they visit the shops more often

* Motorists are in the minority in shops in urban areas - between 25 to 40 % of customers, depending on the day of the week

* Barely 25 % of motorists leave a shop with two or more bags of goods (as opposed to 17 % of cyclists). Therefore, 75% of motorists have nothing to prevent them from using other transport forms

* Another study, this time in Berlin, showed a massive increase in cross-neighbourhood movement when they introduced a 30 km/h (18.6mph) speed limit for cars, except on major routes. People were simply using their bikes and the public transport to get around and they found themselves more mobile as a result. Up to 40% in some cases, for trips between home and the shops

* Similarly, a survey carried out in Strasbourg indicated more than 30% increase of visits to the shopping area of the city after pedestrianisation and closureto through traffic in the town centre

* A survey carried out among consumers in Bern, Switzerland, established the ratio between the value of purchases made and the parking area used by each customer over a year. The profitability was highest in the case of the cyclists - €7500 per square metre for cyclists, €6625 for motorists

Go and read the original post, cyclists are better shoppers than motorists, for more details.

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Govt. Advisers Back 20MPH Limit

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety has come out in favour of our campaign for a 20mph speed limit in urban areas. And new speed cameras, which measure a driver's speed over a certain distance, should be a priority for the Home Office, say its authors.

The executive director of the parliamentary committee told the BBC this morning, "People want to walk and cycle, or want their children to walk and cycle, but are often afraid of traffic going too fast down their road".

More details about the report, called Beyond 2010 - a holistic approach to road safety in Great Britain, can be found here.

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20MPH urban speed limits

On a cycling forum earlier today, I asked the question "Can anyone give me a decent reason why the urban speed limit shouldn't be dropped from 30mph to 20mph?"

The replies (and arguments) which followed throw up some interesting and useful figures.

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Cycling in Europe 4 - Friesland Surprises

You sometimes forget when visiting a country like the Netherlands that it is made up of towns, cities, regions, each with their own unique identities. Crossing the 30 kilometre dyke on the Ijsselmeer reminded us of this fact.

South of the dyke is Holland proper, not to be confused with the rest of the Netherlands (cf with use of "England" for "Great Britain"). North of the dyke is Friesland, a largely rural area famous for its cows.

What immediately struck us as cyclists was the change in traffic treatment. Where previously we were given clear priority of crossing motor traffic - at side turnings, for example - in Friesland the approach is more tentative.



Crossings like the one in the picture ask cyclists to give way to car traffic - and car drivers take the hint by driving faster, and with less awareness of what is going on around them in much the same way as Brits.

The first major town we passed through after the dyke, Bolsward, proved to be typical of the region. Here, the town centre has a 30kph (20mph) speed limit, and little or no separate cycle paths. With cycling as popular here as in the rest of the Netherlands, the streets are loaded with brave cyclists and rather aggressive motorists - though thankfully far fewer than in Darlo.

The layout of Friesland roads became apparent as we continued on to Sneek. Small country roads typically have no central line, but instead are narrowed either side with non-mandatory cycle paths, to both warn motorists that cyclists may be round the next corner, and to give them less of a feeling of the open road. Here is one example.



Is this a chicken and egg problem? Does good behaviour follow clear traffic measures that give cyclists priority, or are such measures not possible where motorists are typically possessive about their road space? Perhaps the clue lies in the politics of the different regions, though little can be gleaned from the electoral arithmetic of the 2006 Dutch general election.

But it does make sense, that if strong political leadership is forthcoming, anti-social driving behaviour can be challenged. And what is clear from this experience is that national patterns of behaviour can and do vary. Darlington pundits take note - stop hiding behind the "we are British, we can't do it" excuse for inaction.

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20mph and a Speed Management Strategy

Just as we learn that Portsmouth City Council are working towards a 20mph speed limit throughout their city, and just three months after Darlington Cycling Campaign's call for similar measures in our town were dismissed as too ambitious, I accidently come across a consultation process for Darlington and County Durham's Speed Management Strategy.

Naturally enough, the Campaign was not alerted or informed about this consultation process, and the deadline for responses is today, June 4th. One of the key objectives of the proposed strategy, which is billed to run until 2011, is to reduce the risk to vulnerable road users. Hmm, wonder if that might mean cyclists?

If anyone can manage in the next couple of hours, you can email comments on the strategy to traffic.management@darlington.gov.uk.

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Council Debate on 20mph Zones

According to Lib Dem Mike Barker, posting on the Town Liar forum, 20mph zones were discussed by the Council last night.

Just managing not to doze off in the public gallery of the Council Chamber last night, as local "democracy" went through its laborious paces below me, with the thermostat on the central heating system apparently turned up to "tropical", I tuned in to the "debate" on 20mph zones in the town, only to hear our beloved Labour spokesman say that 20mph zones were proving very successful, the number of them would soon be increased and then he said, "...and I hope in due course we shall be able to cover much of the town in this way."

Sounds like great news!

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Residents call for safety move on The Broadway

A petition is being prepared by residents of a Darlington street who believe an accident is imminent because of poor road markings.

Residents of The Broadway, off Yarm Road, in Eastbourne, have complained to ward councillor Ian Haszeldine that the absence of road markings at the busy junction with Yarm Road is a danger to road users.

The matter is compounded by extra traffic using The Broadway for access to Heathfield Primary School and as a shortcut for the industrial estates in Lingfield.

Residents are calling for the road to be made a 20mph zone, and for extra markings to keep the junction free from parked cars.

Heathfield School is one which has had good results in encouraging its pupils to cycle to school and it would be a shame if safety fears led to a decline in the numbers cycling to school, or if the school felt it had to discourage cycling as has happened at at least one Darlington school.

Ironically, the very thing which encourages cars to make use of this street as a rat run is also what makes it key to cycling in the area; it enables access to the Lingfield industrial estates without the need to ride on the large McMullen Road/Yarm Road roundabout.

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Calls for traffic calming

There are two pieces in today's Northern Echo where residents of Darlington are calling for traffic calming and/or a reduced speed limit.

In today's Northern Echo is a letter representing the views of residents of Eastmount Road, Darlington, calling for traffic calming. (The letter is from a Hurworth resident, which is why the Echo have incorrectly added Hurworth to the letter.) Having been in contact with the letter writer, I understand that residents would be supportive of a 20mph speed limit being introduced on Eastmount Road.

OVER many months, friends living on Eastmount Road have expressed concerns over the volume and speed of traffic using this road.

They have suffered a number of incidents involving damage to property and vehicles.

The extent of the danger was tragically illustrated by a fatal accident on this road in early December.

Therefore, on their behalf, I contacted Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for transport, to pass on their concerns in the hope that traffic-calming measures may be considered for the area.

This road is potentially a key link for cyclists as it connects both Haughton Road and North Road to Valley Street from which the town centre will soon be accessible without needing to ride on the ring road. It may also link with the Riverside Path, if this is extended past Magnet.

In view of the fatalities and damage to property on a residential street, its proximity to a play area, and its importance to the town's cycle network, it seems clear to me that Eastmount Road/John Street is a prime candidate for traffic calming and a reduced speed limit.

Update: ianh has posted Nick Wallis' response on the Town Liar forum

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Saddled with traffic - or dodging the pedestrians

THE bike slowly wobbles along St Cuthbert's Way, past the magistrates' court and police station.

It clings nervously to the kerb as huge buses, lorries, and vans zoom past it.

The bike reaches Victoria Road roundabout, near Feethams, and comes to an uncertain stop.
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As the cyclist waits to turn right, the truck in front spits fumes over him. The cars behind rev menacingly.

This is cycling on Darlington's ring road - intimidating and unpleasant.

A feature article, Saddled with traffic - or dodging the pedestrians by Owen Amos appeared in today's Northern Echo on page 11, and is available online.

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20mph speed limit for Darlington, article in Advertiser

For the second time in three weeks we made the front page of the Darlingon Advertiser; the free newspaper which is delivered to every home in the town each week: Call for 20mph town speed limit.

For me the key fact to consider is: 90% of people hit by a vehicle at 40mph die, 20% at 30mph and only 2.5% at 20mph. I don't think any other argument is really needed.

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Northern Echo Feature on Cycling in Darlo Saturday

The Northern Echo are due to run a feature about cycling in Darlington this coming Saturday, 10th February. Journo Owen Amos came out with members of the Cycling Campaign to get an idea of what it is like cycling around the town from the cyclist's point of view. We took him on and off road to try to explain the difference between the macho, assertive cycling required on main roads, and the relatively leisurely cycling possible on quiet roads and cycle paths.



The pic shows DCC member Tim Stahl (right) briefing Owen Amos after our cycle ride. The Pedestrian Heart issue is likely to loom large.

Update: The feature article, Saddled with traffic - or dodging the pedestrians appeared in today's Northern Echo on page 11, and is available online.

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Cycle Campaign Calls For 20MPH Limit

As we reported earlier, Darlington Cycling Campaign is calling for a blanket 20 miles an hour speed limit across Darlington.

A story detailing the call for a 20MPH speed limit appears in today's Northern Echo (The Northern Echo: 20mph limit call 'not practical'), in which the Council respond by saying that legally such zones need traffic calming measures, and are therefore impractical. This is not the understanding of the Cycle Campaign. We understand that it is current Police policy to only support 20MPH zones which are 'self enforcing', but that there is nothing in law to say that is the case. 'Self enforcing' does not necessarily mean speed bumps.

Cambridge Cycling Campaign have an excellent article on 20MPH zones, which touches on this issue.

Stay tuned for more.

UPDATE

DfT publication: Speed - Know your limits (pdf). A useful document, with lots of facts and figures.
British Medical Journal: Reducing the speed limit to 20 mph in urban areas - Child deaths and injuries would be decreased.

(Link to Northern Echo story added.)

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Resolution Passed at 2007 AGM

The following resolution was passed at the Cycling Campaign's 2007 AGM today:

Darlington Cycling Campaign calls for a blanket 20 miles an hour speed limit across Darlington.

Traffic research has shown that 94% of Darlington people are against an increase in the number of cars on the town’s roads, but fear there will be more by 2010. 82% of residents surveyed consider that the risk is too high for them to cycle in the town. Even 53% see walking as a danger.

Clearly the big obstacle to improving the safety of cyclists, and thus making cycling more attractive to non-cyclists, is to deter car drivers. The increase in the region’s road traffic over the past 10 years is 17.4%, higher than the national average. Darlington this week was dubbed the 4th noisiest town in the country. The softly softly approach doesn’t seem to be working. Tougher measures are needed, and a 20mph limit could encourage car drivers to take more notice of the safety of cyclists, pedestrians, and the disabled.

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