Rod King, MBE, founder of community interest group 20’s Plenty for Us has issued a heartfelt response to the Government’s recently published Road Safety Strategy.
“The Road Safety Strategy is a landmark for the UK Government in declaring its acceptance of the Safe System approach to road management and road safety,” he says. |It boldly and ambitiously looks for a 65% reduction in the numbers killed or seriously injured on roads by 2035, using a 2022-2024 baseline, and a 70% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured. While these targets purport to be for Great Britain, it is not clear where this leaves Wales and Scotland, which both have their own Road Safety Strategies (and speed limit guidance), or Northern Ireland, which is currently consulting on new speed limit guidance.”
Delivering a Safe System approach successfully is key to having any chance of reaching these targets.
Says Mr King:
“I am pleased that appropriate speed limits are referenced in the strategy. Speed is one of the ‘Fatal Four’ and safe speeds are a vital pillar of the Safe System. Speed limits are designed to reduce the likelihood and impact of collisions. Local authorities are responsible for setting appropriate speed limits in their areas and the government provides comprehensive guidance to these authorities on doing so.”
“The Road Safety Strategy does not need to specifically refer to 20mph limits,” he continues. “It is implicit in any Safe System approach. It is accepted internationally that “where motors mix with pedestrians and cyclists then 30km/h or 20mph should be the maximum speed limit unless a higher limit is specifically and evidentially justified”. This is as per the Stockholm Declaration resolution 11. on Speed Management (adopted by the UK Government in 2020) which is the foundation of the Welsh and Scottish adoption of 20mph as a norm.”
20mph is recognised as a “survivable speed” for pedestrians/cyclists (those “valuable” road users) in an urban/village environment and features in the Chartered Institution for Highways and Transportation (CIHT) report on Progressing the UK towards Safe System Implementation.
“Many local authorities are setting speed limits on local roads at 20mph, using a Safe System approach, because they have determined that the current national 30mph limit is inappropriate. Wales has set a national urban/village default speed limit of 20mph and Scotland is guiding and funding local authorities to set 20mph for most urban/village roads.”
The full response can be read HERE.
(Picture: Yay Images)
