A 20MPH speed limit could be introduced to all residential areas in Warwickshire.
The move has been suggested in a motion proposed by Green Party councillors, set to be discussed by Warwickshire County Council this week.
Green councillor Jonathan Chilvers said: “There is strong evidence to show that 20mph limits in residential areas reduce road casualties by at least 20 per cent a year whilst also making our streets easier and healthier places to be.
“This is not about putting speed humps everywhere which are frankly expensive and can just push traffic to other places. It’s about changing the environment we live work and travel in for the better.”
The change would follow some other local authorities including Bath, Calderdale and Chester, and the Welsh government, which will impose a 20mph limit in residential streets from April 2023.
Many residents in Warwickshire have shown support for the proposal in discussions across social media.
One user from Leamington commented: “A 20mph limit would be great on many streets. Newbold Terrace would benefit greatly. I have witnessed a few accidents between cars and pedestrians leaving the park.”
Although some also had concerns about enforcement.
One commented: “Drivers ignore the limit. Our road is 30mph yet many drivers exceed this its like a race track. When do you see police on the roads? Why have the councils turned off most of the cameras? what a waste of all that investment in them. Reduce the speed and enforce it by whatever means so that every driver is punished if they break the limit.”
But Green councillor Will Roberts, who is seconding the motion, believes a 10mph reduction would go some way to cutting the risk of injuries.
He said: “30mph limits just don’t work anymore. How can we expect children to walk and cycle to schools with the risks as they are at the moment? Sure, not everyone will instantly keep to the limit, but, where this has been done in other places in England, speeds have reduced by 4mph to 5mph on busier 30mph roads and every mph means a six per cent reduction in people being injured or killed. This has got to be worth thinking about.”
The motion will be discussed at a full county council meeting on Thursday (July 1).
