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Making our roads feel safer .... ... without speed humps

Making our roads feel safer .... ... without speed humps. Hitchin Committee – 11 th September 2012. – an impossible dream?. Courtesy: Kendrive. Background to 20s Plenty for Watford?. Herts Highways propose a 20 mph zone in Nascot area - unilaterally

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Making our roads feel safer .... ... without speed humps

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  1. Making our roads feel safer .......without speed humps Hitchin Committee – 11th September 2012 – an impossible dream? Courtesy: Kendrive

  2. Background to 20s Plenty for Watford? • Herts Highways propose a 20 mph zone in Nascot area - unilaterally • Nascot Residents' Association hold public meeting to gauge local opinion • NRA unanimously agree to support a town-wide approach and to work with other community groups • Other residents’ and community groups enthusiastically agree top join • 20s Plenty for Watford “umbrella” group formed in November 2011 • Feb – March 2012, group holds briefings for each of the four political groups on Watford Council ......

  3. What’s the problem?Two conflicting positions • Road deaths “the greatest avoidable public health epidemic” (Professor Dorling) • Inappropriate speed a major factor in collisions • Fear of dangers from traffic deterring many from walking or cycling • Parents concern about children walking or cycling to school • Fear of being accused of “waging war on motorists” • County councillors deferring to traffic engineers..... • ... who defer to Association of Chief Police Officers’ guidance..... • .... which was issued in 1996 (before current highway regulations came into force) V Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  4. Would you survive an accident? • Chance of pedestrian surviving at 40 mph: 15% • Chance of pedestrian surviving at 30 mph: 55% • Chance of pedestrian surviving at 20 mph: 95% Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  5. Some facts Traffic accidents in Herts (2009): • Fatal: 36 • Seriously injured: 377 • Slight injuries: 3,543 • Cost : £183 million (Source: Dept for Transport) Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  6. Casualty & physical inactivity costs – Hertfordshire - 2009 Source: Cabinet Office (formula) + Dept for Transport Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  7. 20 mph not just a highways matter • Public health • Encouraging walking and cycling • Tackling health crises, particularly obesity • Community Safety • Making our neighbourhoods feel safer for all, particularly the young and the elderly • Community Cohesion • About fair and shared use of our streets, by motorists, cyclists & pedestrians

  8. Why 20 mph? In Britain …… • More than half of road deaths and serious injuries occur on roads with 30 mph limits . (Transport Statistics for Great Britain). • Britain has the highest percentage of pedestrian road fatalities in Europe (22.5%). • Britain has one of the lowest levels of children walking or cycling to school in Europe.  • Standard speed limits on Britain’s urban roads are 60% higher than Europe. (30 mph compared to 18.6 mph) So perhaps the question should be – why 30 mph? Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  9. The legal position • DfT Guidelines relaxed requirements for 20 mph limits in residential areas (Circular 1/06) . • It is no longer mandatory to impose physical measures such as bumps. • Further relaxations by DfT currently out for consultation Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  10. Some myths exploded.... • The highway authority needs Government approval for 20 mph schemes – not since 1999. (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (Amendment Order) 1999 (SI 1998/1608). • The 85 percentile rule – No longer applicable. The DfT guidance (Circular 1/2006) states “mean speeds should be used as the basis for determining local speed limits. This is a change from the use of 85th percentile speed in Circular 01/93 (DoT, 1993).” • Traffic calming meansspeed humps etc. - no longer. The Traffic Signs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations and General Directions 2011 “20mph repeater signs and carriageway roundels are now classed as “traffic calming devices” and hence can be used in 20mph zones as an alternative to physical calming”

  11. Difference between approaches Small neighbourhoods: • 20 mph zones with physical traffic calming (humps etc.) • Incremental approach – resulting in “patchwork” of different speed limits • In Watford, costs around £100,000 for approx. 5-7 streets Whole town: • 20 mph the default speed limit in all residential and shopping areas (where the people are) • Comprehensive approach – whole town/city dealt with at same time • In Portsmouth, cost around £500,000 for 1,200 residential roads Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  12. Costs of 20 mph zones Street Furniture • Speed humps = £10,000 each • Associated street lighting = £5,000 per hump • 20mph/30 mph signs = £1,500 per “gateway” Cost of one mile of a 20 mph zone = 56 miles of a wide area 20 mph speed limit

  13. Zones v Limits 20 mph Zones • Neighbourhood based • Requires traffic calming (humps, chicanes etc.) • Expensive (costs: c. £100,000 per mile) • Reduces speed by 9 mph.... • ... but speed outside zone increases (overall drop = 1.3 mph) • Patchwork quilt of different limits in same town (30 & 20) 20 mph speed limits • Ideally covers a wider area (e.g. town) • Covers all residential roads • All streets have same limit • No traffic calming (just signs, road markings & publicity) • Fraction of cost (c £2,000 per mile) • High level of compliance • % exceeding speed limit same as for 30mph Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  14. Who benefits from town-wide approach? Residents • Roads feel safer • Fewer accidents (particularly children & older people) • Increase in children walking & cycling (to school etc.) • Better house prices Motorists • Fewer car user casualties • Less fuel used & less carbon emissions • Collision damage tends to be minor • Motoring costs drop • Politicians • 20 mph limits popular (80% public & 75% drivers support speed limit on residential streets (PACTS + British Social Attitudes Survey) • Town-wide speed limits are a fraction of the cost of traffic- calmed 20 mph zones and cover larger areas more quickly

  15. Where has 20mph area-wide speed limits been agreed? • Portsmouth (unitary council) • Warrington (unitary ) • Oxford (district council) • Islington (London borough) • Southwark (London boro’) • Hull (unitary) • Wirral (Met – unitary) • Lancashire (county council) • Warrington • Bristol (unitary) • Bath & NE Somerset • Hartlepool • Newcastle (unitary) • Cambridge (district) Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  16. Does it work? Portsmouth • Portsmouth City Council first in England with area-wide 20 mph Speed Limit scheme • “an important scheme which can be compared to more traditional 20 mph Zones, which involve extensive traffic calming” (DfT evaluation, 2010) • casualties reduced by 22%. • Cost £500,000 approx. for whole city (1,200 roads – 94% of network) Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  17. The momentum is gathering ... On 1st February 2012, Manchester City Council unanimously approved a motion: “This Council believes that the implementation of a city-wide speed limit of 20mph on all non major residential roads, combined with a public information campaign and innovative inexpensive traffic calming, would have an immediate beneficial impact on accidents and fatalities in the City.”

  18. On 2nd February 2012, The Times launched its Cities Fit for Cycling campaign with an 8 point manifesto including “20mph should become the default speed Limit in residential areas where there are no cycle lanes.”

  19. On 21st March 2012, Watford Council agreed unanimously to press Herts CC to introduce “a 20 mph limit on all residential roads in Watford, excluding major routes” The Council noted that where a 20 mph limit has been introduced elsewhere, it has: • significantly reduced speeds in just the first year of operation; • encouraged walking and cycling, especially for the elderly and younger children; • benefited communities, with residents a quarter more likely to stop and talk on footpaths; • increased the journey time of a 15 minute journey by just 1 minute; • reduced vehicle emissions by 12% due to less acceleration and deceleration; • and been supported by 72% of drivers surveyed as part of the British Social Attitudes Survey

  20. Bristol City Council decides on a city-wide 20 mph in residential areas (28th July 2012). • The aim - to encourage more walking, more cycling, and more independent mobility for children and elderly in the City; to reduce risk and severity of road casualties; and to help create pleasant people-centred streets and public space. • Two pilots were run - underpinned by a joint communications campaign delivered by Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol working in partnership with local community groups, local schools, and with support from Avon and Somerset Constabulary. • The signs only 20 mph pilot scheme resulted in a 12% increase in walking and cycling, a reduction in day time road speeds and no impact on journey times or bus reliability • Support for 20mph limits amongst pilot area residents = 82%

  21. Summary of benefits of town-wide approach A 20 mph speed limit on all non-major roads is: • Much cheaper than 20 mph zones • More roads made to feel safer, quicker • Easier for motorists to know which speed limit applies to each road type • Does not rely on unpopular speed humps etc. • Engages whole population at same time • Saves lives and serious injuries • .... but most of all, makes our roads again places which everyone can use and enjoy safely. A shared space used equally by motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, young & old, the able and the less mobile Twenty’s plenty for Watford

  22. Some ideas for elected representatives • Scrutiny Committee to examine the benefits of 20 mph limits • Use the “councillor call for action” power (Local Government Act 2007) • Engage with public health, police & highway authorities for a “joined-up” approach • Consider issue at local partnership meetings (Health & Well-being, LSP, Herts Highways Joint Member Panel) • Press the highway authority to take a wider view

  23. Thank you for listening From Twenty’s Plenty in Watford We are a consortium of existing community groups and residents associations who joined together to campaign for 20 mph as the speed limit where we live, without speed humps. We include: Cassiobury Triangle Residents’ Association Watford and Three Rivers Friends of the Earth

  24. Want to know more? • 20's Plenty for Us (National Campaign) www.20splentyforus.org.uk • University of the West of England - 20mph Research Findings http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/research/bsmc/researchprojects/20splenty.aspx • British Medical Journal http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5580/rr/601213 • Department for Transport -

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