Readers will be aware that last Tuesday (13th January) the Council's Transport Committee approved a roll-out of 20mph zones for the Capital City ...
... the full report
- it's 23-pags long, but well worth going through in detail. After Committee-approval, an associated
It is also crucial to stress that this roll-out programme will take place over some 3-years - more information on the 'Implementation Plan' can be found in
Edinburgh's bid to become the
first 20mph city in Scotland moved a step closer today when councillors
approved a map of 20mph, 30mph and 40mph limits for the city.
Provided the necessary Speed Limit Orders are secured, the
new arrangements
are due to come into effect on a phased basis from late 2015 onwards
and feature a 20mph speed limit on residential and shopping streets with
a network of 30mph and 40mph maintained for key arterial routes.
A detailed implementation plan, including costings, will be considered by the Transport and Environment Committee in March.
Welcoming the
approval of the map
today, Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said: "I'm pleased
that Committee has today given the green light for our 20mph plans. This
initiative has been under development for nearly three years and we've
carried out a huge amount of public consultation.
"The most recent and most extensive consultation last autumn found
that 60% of respondents were supportive or strongly supportive of our
proposals.
Vice Convener Adam McVey added: "We were also pleased to receive positive
feedback from every community council that responded to the consultation, as well as a large number of organisations.
"Our next step is to develop an implementation programme to roll the new
network out. A detailed report on this will come before the Transport and
Environment Committee in March, which will give us a clearer picture of how the
changes will be brought in."
Stuart Hay, Head of Living Streets Scotland, said: “Edinburgh’s
20mph limit policy
sets a positive example for cities across Scotland and the UK. Lower
speeds on shopping and residential streets means a safer and more
pleasant city for everyone with higher levels of walking and lower
levels of accidents.
"Living Streets looks forward to working with the Council to promote the
scheme and its benefits as it is rolled out."
Cllr Hinds also took the opportunity to address some of the misconceptions
about the plans which have been communicated to elected members by constituents
and reported by local media.
She said: "There have been a number of claims flying about to do with the
ins and outs of the 20mph rollout which are quite simply untrue and it's vital
that everyone has the full facts at their fingertips.
"For example, it's not a 'blanket rollout' at all. Each street which is
earmarked to become 20mph has been selected based on robust criteria agreed
with key stakeholders, including bus companies and Police Scotland.
"Police Scotland will continue to enforce legal speed limits right across
the Capital and anyone caught flouting the 20mph limit will face warnings or
speeding fines.
"Key arterial routes are being maintained at 30mph or 40mph so that we can
keep cross-city traffic flowing, even though some residents in these areas
would have preferred a change to 20mph. It's important that we get the balance
right as much as we can, however inevitably not everyone will be able to get
what they hoped for."
Top ten 20mph myths - Busted
Myth 1: This is a 'blanket' roll-out
This is not a blanket implementation. The proposals are for a network of 20mph
streets chiefly in residential and shopping areas, complemented by a network of
30 and 40mph roads on key arterial routes in the city suburbs. This will mean
that impacts on journey times should be relatively modest In terms of main
roads which are earmarked for a new 20mph limit, a high proportion of
collisions happen on these roads. In particular, pedestrian and cyclist
casualties tend to be concentrated on shopping streets and on other main roads
in the city centre and inner suburbs.
These are also the roads that are used by the most people and that have the
greatest mix of pedestrians, cyclists and motorised vehicles. A lower speed
limit here can help improve safety and also improve the environment for all
road users.
Criteria for selecting potential 20mph streets were agreed in outline by the
Council’s Transport and Environment Committee and then fine-tuned by a
sub-group of its Transport Forum, including representatives from a range of
interested groups. We’ve made changes to the proposed map based on
feedback from individuals, community groups and organisations like Lothian
Buses to make sure we get the balance right.
The extensive consultation that we have carried out over several years shows a
high level of public support for our proposals. During the recent consultation
there was a lot of support for our approach, in particular for the degree to
which it seeks to adopt a consistent approach to similar types of road.
Myth 2: Safety won't be improved by lowering speed limits
There is considerable evidence in support of reducing speed limits
in urban areas. A 2010 Department for Transport (DfT) publication which
looked at the relationship between speed and risk of fatal injury found
that the risk of fatal injury to pedestrians rose from under 1% at an
impact speed of 20mph to 5.5%, or 1 in 20, at 30mph (1). Above 30mph
risk increased very substantially, to over 30% at an impact speed of
40mph.
A different large scale study looking at the effect of speeds on
overall accident numbers found a clear relationship. On the types of
urban road likely to be considered for a 20mph limit the study found the
accidents could be expected to fall by between 4% and 6% for each 1mph
reduction in average speed. The greatest reductions were achievable on
“busy main roads in towns with high levels of pedestrian activity” (2)
Other cities that have introduced 20mph speed limits have seen
reductions in casualties. For example in Portsmouth it is estimated that
20mph limits have lowered road casualties by 8%, while in Warrington
there has been a reduction in collisions of 25% in 20mph speed limit
areas; Evidence from the South Edinburgh pilot area also points to a
reduction in casualties (20% to January 2014).
References
- http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/pgr-roadsafety-research-rsrr-theme5-researchreport16-pdf/rswp116.pdf (external link)
- Taylor, M. C., Lynam, D. A. and Baruya, A. (2000) The effects of drivers’ speed on the frequency of road accidents.
Myth 3: Slower speeds will increase congestion
We do not anticipate an increase in congestion. In fact, research indicates
that vehicles flow more smoothly through junctions at slower speeds.
Myth 4: Slower speeds will increase emissions and worsen air quality
Research indicates vehicles flow more smoothly through junctions at slower
speeds. Additionally, as a result of reduced acceleration and braking, 20mph
may help to reduce fuel consumption and associated emissions.
Some environmental benefit from the change is expected from helping to unlock
the potential for walking or cycling short distances instead of driving.
Myth 5: 20mph speed limits won't be enforced
The legal speed limits on any roads in the Capital are enforced by Police
Scotland and this will be no different whether the street is 20, 30 or 40mph.
Police will direct their resources to particular problem areas, as they do
currently, and drivers caught flouting the limit will face warnings or speeding
fines. Additional measures such as Vehicle Activated Signs could also be
installed in streets where particularly high numbers of contraventions are
detected or reported.
Myth 6: 20mph limits in shopping streets will be bad for businesses
It is considered that businesses will benefit from the increased “liveability”
which slower speeds will foster in their area, with more people attracted to
spend time in shopping streets where they feel safer and the environment is
generally more pleasant.
Opinion research carried out in the South Edinburgh 20mph pilot area found that
residents felt the new speed limit had had a range of positive impacts, the
most often mentioned being improved safety for children, for walking and for
cycling.
20mph speed limits encourage more considerate driving, leading to safer streets
for all road users, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The lower
speeds reduce the risk and severity of road collisions. Reducing traffic
speed helps make people feel more confident about being on their local streets and
helps children and elderly people to travel independently and safely.
Calmer road speeds also help to make walking and cycling more attractive
options, contributing to less traffic congestion, better health, less noise,
more social interaction and stronger communities.
Myth 7: The city will be covered in speed humps
The new limit will be introduced without traffic calming measures. However, if
monitoring finds speeds remain significantly above 20mph on certain streets
despite signage and public awareness of the limit, we will consider speed
reducing measures on the roads concerned. On residential streets this is likely
to mean road humps, on main roads other methods would be deployed, for example
road markings (e.g. cycle lanes) or central islands which tend to reduce speeds
by reducing the apparent width of roads.
Myth 8: Journey times will be much longer
Research in other cities, surveys of current speeds, and results of the pilot
project in Edinburgh, suggest that journey times will not significantly
increase and by easing traffic flow, 20mph may actually reduce some journey
times.
We would expect changes not exceeding around 25 seconds per mile, probably
significantly lower (around 10 seconds per mile has been found in central parts
of Bristol where a limit has now been introduced) . We will be carrying out
more research on this matter in Edinburgh and will post the results on the
Council's website.
Myth 9: Signs alone don't lower drivers' speeds
National evidence has shown that sign‐only 20 mph speed limits can help to
reduce average speeds and improve safety. Evidence from the pilot scheme in
South Edinburgh showed similar results, with average speeds reduced by around
10% to just over 20mph, and with larger falls in speeds (around 14%) on the roads
that had higher average speeds before the limit was introduced. Of 1000 people
surveyed in the South Edinburgh pilot area, 79% supported the 20 mph limit,just
4% opposed it.
Myth 10: This is an attack on motorists
We are not stopping people from driving. Our aim is to balance the needs of
drivers with the safety and environment of local residents. 20 mph creates a
safer environment for everyone, including motorists.
The proposals are for a network of 20mph streets chiefly in
residential and shopping areas, complemented by a network of 30 and
40mph roads on key arterial routes in the city suburbs to keep traffic
moving.
Slower speeds will not significantly increase journey times and by easing traffic flow, may actually reduce some journey times.
