Blocked-off roads: New petition demands Khan scraps 20 mph limits on main roads

“A driver’s attention is now becoming increasingly focused on not inadvertently going over 20 mph – and being prosecuted – as opposed to what is happening on the road in front of them.”
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A new petition calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to scrap 20 mph limits on main roads has been started on the change.org website.

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The petition says the imposition of these speed limits on main roads “appears more like a revenue generation scheme than a safety measure.”

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The petition reads:

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The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) are placing a 20 mph speed limit on an increasing number of roads in London.

This measure is welcomed on:

• quiet residential streets where children may be playing, or where parked cars could obstruct visibility of oncoming traffic;
• near schools in the hour before and after school – but not all day and night. A sign (like the one pictured below) could be used for schools on main roads. (NB: schools on quiet residential streets would not require such a sign, as we believe that 20 mph is sensible on quiet residential streets);
• streets with high pedestrian footfall in streets in the very centre of towns (e.g. high streets).

But the extension to main roads (other than the exceptions above)  is a step too far. The imposition of these speed limits on main roads appears more like a revenue generation scheme than a safety measure. It was estimated that in 2022/23, the police would enforce about 650,000 speeding offences, an increase of about 30 per cent compared to the previous year. [Source]

A driver’s attention is now becoming increasingly focused on not inadvertently going over 20 mph (and being prosecuted), as opposed to what is happening on the road in front of them.

A report commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2018 found “found no significant change in collisions and casualties, in the short term, in the majority of the case study areas (including the aggregated set of residential case studies).

While some individual case study areas show a reduction in collisions / casualties when background trends are accounted for, these results are based on very small sample sizes and it is not possible to attach any confidence to their significance.” [Source]

We urge TfL to reconsider its decision and implement speed restrictions that are sensible, fair, and truly aimed at improving road safety rather than generating income from speeding fines.

Please sign this petition if you agree with our cause.

Change.org: https://chng.it/vcCcPhHmBn

Sign this petition

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