Council Admits Its 20mph Zones Make Roads More Dangerous
When Bath and North East Somerset Council introduced 13 new 20mph zones at a cost of £871,000, the idea was that roads would get safer. But, it seems the changes have had the opposite effect.
A report has shown that in seven out of the 13 zones, deaths and serious injuries went up, not down, in the 12 months following their implementation.
“There is no simple explanation for this adverse trend but it could be that local people perceive the area to be safer due to the presence of the 20mph restrictions and thus are less diligent when walking and crossing roads, cycling or otherwise travelling,” the council’s report states. The review also notes that this trend does appear to be nationwide one. The results are “reflective of the national situation,” it says.
So the 20mph zones are going to go, right? You’d think so, given that the report concludes that there’s “little in the way of persuasive argument for continuing the programme in the future.” But no: the council apparently doesn’t have the cash to remove them.
The Telegraph quotes the council’s deputy leader Patrick Anketell-Jones as saying: “It has cost over £800,000 to roll out the 20mph zone and it would probably cost the same to reverse them…We just haven’t got the money. I’m pretty sure the 20mph zones will stay in place for the foreseeable future.”
Comments
How about invest those £871,000 to improve road quality so that the drivers can focus on pedestrians rather than avoiding potholes?
How the heck does it cost £800,000 to roll out 13 zones?!? For that much money, you could buy a load of Toyota GT86s (with enough money left over for a collection of “20 ZONE” number plates) and position one at the start and end of each of those zones. Council inefficiency at its worst.
It cost’s £500 to change the sign + £100 for the sign… least that’s what I’d charge if I were doing it, realistically it’s £30 a sign and £16.50 an hour for labour + a ladder at £0.50 a day to change do it but people are thick and don’t care when it’s not their own money hence £800,000 for probably 50 signs
Try Edinburgh the 20 zones are a disaster area no one obeys them, really they should go back up to 30mph….
In this case, speed saves lives
A couple blocks from where I live that has a speed limit of 20, even though it should easily be a 35-45 zone.
Its called natural selection. Let them die as they should
I’ve lived in Bath for over 4 years. In my first year, they closed the road to repave, then decided to add speed bumps, then decided to remove them, then add them back in, then remove them, and make it a 20mph zone. That’s why it costs nearly £1mil, leaving them without money to reimburse me for the pothole damage I had on my ST.
People on both sides of the bumper are less attentive due to feeling “safer” at the slower speeds. There’s still more than enough kinetic energy at 20 mph to do serious damage to the human body.
ive seen people run faster than 20 mph (usain bolt)
Well, I once heard of a plan here in Vancouver to reduce all speed limits…to 24 mph. Imagine the entire city limit at that speed! Thank goodness that didn’t happen…as of yet
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