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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Tories frustrate 20 mph zones
November 8, 2011 5:21 PM
• [Nov 01]: DESPITE voting in support of a Liberal Democrat motion to introduce 20 mph zones wherever residents want them, which could be accomplished without the need for extra traffic calming measures, the Tory administration has put in place an unrealistic hurdle to frustrate progress.
Cllr Jerry Elloy, Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson on Richmond Council, said: "Before even contemplating a scheme, the Tory administration is demanding that 51 % of all households should vote in favour of a 20 mph scheme in their road. Response rates from householders are very rarely 100%, so a threshold of 51 % might never be achieved even if the vast majority of respondents favour a 20 mph limit. For example if 50 % of residents return the form, the council will refuse to act even if 99 % of them have voted in favour of a 20 mph limit. This is just another example of an administration determined to do little to improve road safety or reduce traffic speeds in residential areas."
The case for such zones in residential areas is clear: likelihood of a pedestrian being killed by a vehicle at 40 mph is 90 %, at 30 mph is 20 % and at 20 mph is 3 %. With the stalling of the scheme, the Tory-run council is risking an increase in road deaths. Munira Wilson, South West London campaigner, added, "This is a golden opportunity to increase safety in our residential streets at little cost, as these schemes can be introduced without extra traffic calming measures in roads where average speeds are already around 24 mph. The government wants more 20 mph zones; why is the Conservative-run council dragging its feet?"
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