The Transport Committee will focus on speed as it continues its inquiry into the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.

In the third evidence session, Members will question a five-strong expert panel which includes Transport for London’s chief safety, health and environment officer Lilli Matson and Phil Jones, the former chair of the Welsh Government’s 20mph Task Force Group.

The road safety strategy sets targets of a 65 per cent reduction in people killed or seriously injured (KSI), and a 70 per cent reduction in child KSIs, by 2035. 

Local authorities and National Highways play the lead role in ensuring safe speed limits are set on England’s roads, and the strategy commits to updating guidance on setting local speed limits.

Wednesday’s evidence session will see witnesses discuss whether the strategy’s commitments on speed are sufficient to support its casualty reduction targets. 

Members will explore evidence around 20mph limits, including lessons from Wales and London, and witnesses could be pressed on whether England should follow Wales and move towards 20mph as the national default speed limit on roads. 

Elsewhere in the session, Members could pose questions about driver behaviour, public attitudes to speeding, and the role of education and technology.

The session will also consider how speed policy should be managed across national and local government, including whether current arrangements give local authorities the right balance of responsibility, guidance and support.

Witnesses for this session have been announced as:

• Lilli Matson, Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, Transport for London 
• Adrian Berendt, Director and Community Champion, 20s Plenty for Us
• Dr. Rob Török, Doctor in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance
• Phil Jones, Chair, Phil Jones Associates; former Chair of the Welsh Government’s 20mph Task Force Group and 20mph Steering Group
• Declan Pang, Director of Public Affairs & Policy for England at the Road Haulage Association

The Road Safety Strategy evidence session takes place on Wednesday 15 July at 09.15 in Committee Room 5 at the Palace of Westminster and you can watch it live on ParliamentTV   . 

(Picture: Yay Images)