I’ve had lots of inbounds from people asking why there appear to be so many more 20mph speed limit signs in and around central London. It’s true, just about everywhere you turn there is a new, brightly lit 20mph sign reminding you to… slow down! How and why has it come to this, you ask? To answer, it’s helpful to know that it is indeed the individual Boroughs who determine their own speed limits. Under the Green Party, Lewisham Borough was the first to introduce a blanket 20mph limit (from 30mph) across all their roads back in 2008. Then-mayor Ken Livingston called on the remaining 33 local authorities to follow suit and Islington, Camden and the City of London were next. Last summer the main roads that are independently run by Transport for London (TFL) – representing just 5% of London’s roads but carrying one third of its traffic – introduced a 20mph limit with the intent of bringing road deaths down to 0. The “Vision Zero” plan to improve safety, in collaboration with the mayor, TFL, and the Metropolitan Police, is to eventually roll out to all of London’s roads, subject to the approval of the remaining Boroughs. TFL has provided the following statistical information to support the new speed limits:
- If someone who is walking is hit by a vehicle at 20mph, they are five times less likely to be killed than if they were hit at 30mph.
- If someone is hit by a car travelling at 30 mph they have a 40% chance of being killed, but…
… If hit at 20mph they have a 90% chance of surviving.
- For each 1mph reduction in speed there is an associated 6% reduction in collisions in urban areas.
- More than 2000 people are killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents in the capital per year.
Unsurprisingly, the new speed 20mph limit has been widely derided because reaching a speed of 20mph would be welcomed by every central London driver as currently, the average speed achieved by drivers in central London is… 8mph. These are ostensibly the slowest traffic speeds compared to any European capital barring Moscow. Ouch.
But it’s the local high streets and avenues in residential areas where the new 20mph speed limits are the most felt. I can’t disagree that on certain roads near me 20mph seems quite slow. As much as I’m in favour of reducing road traffic accidents, I do think a 20mph speed limit can feel excessive. It’s not unusual for me to look down at my speedometer and see that I’m travelling at 25mph. While this mightn’t strike anyone as being too heinous a crime, the reality is that I’m exceeding the speed limit by… 25%! No, me’Lord, I have no defence…
An alternative could be to enforce the 20mph speed limits during peak times such as school drop-off and pick-up. Or, more broadly, 7am-9am and 3pm-5pm. Let me know what you think, but in the meantime, it might help to think of the benefits of driving slower: less fuel consumed, less strain on your car (both resulting in money saved!) and the scientifically-proven likelihood of getting into an accident resulting in injury, or worse, being significantly reduced.
Car Sleuth’s mantra of “Keep calm and drive on” seems particularly appropriate…