Fwd: 30mph is not Fit For Purpose
Simon Geller
Our latest press release, says 30mph is Not Fit for Purpose, (rather than our previous main message of 20’s Plenty for Us)
This is a new emphasis- 20's Plenty for Us now feel the time has come to challenge the "national" speed limit. Prime targets for this message are MPs, not just local councillors. Please distribute to this your networks and start saying 30mph is Not Fit for Purpose Thank you.
See http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/Press_Releases/30mph_not_fit_for_purpose.pdf
30mph is Not Fit for Purpose
Press Release Aug 2012
Something is wrong. Many of Britain’s most iconic cities have rejected the national speed limit. Oxford, Cambridge, York, Liverpool and Bath all say 30mph is not fit for purpose for up to 95% of roads. Wide-area 20mph limits bring a fairer sharing of space.
Enlightened Local Authorities have a new approach to sharing the public space between houses that we call streets. Residents, Councillor Scrutiny Committee reports[i] and many Lead Local Authority Members for Transport support wide-area 20 mph residential limits without humps. Certain roads can be exempted. Limits are mandatory and enforceable with light touch policing.
20mph limit popularity and success is demonstrated[ii]. There are already over 8 million people living in Local Authorities committed to wide-area 20 mph limits including Portsmouth, Newcastle, Islington, Middlesbrough, Greenwich and all of Lancashire. And it’s the norm in most of Northern Europe.
It’s time to question the appropriateness of 30mph limits. 30mph is no longer seen as fit for purpose as our top university cities of Oxford, Cambridge and York have agreed. 20mph (not 30mph) is best practice where people live according to the Department for Transport, NHS and EU Parliament.
With decisions being made locally, progress on slower maximum speed limits has, until now, required people to write to their local politicians to change road signs, since speeds are set by elected City and County Councillors in Local Government.
It’s time to wake up to the fact that the national default road speed of 30mph is no longer appropriate for our community streets. 20’s Plenty if you want a quality of life that allows walkers, cyclists, children, families, the elderly and people with disabilities to safely cross, and jointly use, the roads alongside motorised traffic.
It’s a new way of thinking. No longer about motor vehicle dominance. Imagine instead the egalitarian citizen’s right to movement space – however they get about. 20mph limits offer :-
· Universal right to choose to walk or cycle on residential streets without fear
· Universal right to respect from those choosing to move “heavy steel boxes” around our streets
· Universal right to look to how pollution can be curbed by gaining modal shift
· Universal right for vulnerable road users to cross roads with ease
It’s time to give people a real choice in how they travel by removing the fear of fast traffic from community streets. Join us in saying 30mph is not fit for purpose. Demand an inquiry. The “national” road speed limit should change. Write to your MP and Councillors today.
[i] http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/BriefingSheets/Scrutiny_has_proven_20mph_limits.pdf
[ii] http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/BriefingSheets/20mph_are_popular_vote_winners.pdf
Anna Semlyen, 20’s Plenty for Us Campaign Manager, T: 07572 120439 e: Ann...@20splentyforus.org.uk
www.20splentyforus.org.uk, www.20splentyforus.blogspot.com
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Simon