Category: Community Groups
Wales’ 20-Mph Default Speed Limit
WENVOE FORUM
Considering tomorrow today
Wales’ 20-Mph Default Speed Limit
Forum Member Gareth Stone gives his view of the 20mph discussion.
Wales’ 20-mph default speed limit…
On 17/9/23, Welsh Government legislation reduced the default national speed limit from 30-mph to 20-mph. A week later, I drove to Northampton for our grandson’s 10th birthday. As we neared, we noticed 20-mph zones in the surrounding villages and the residential area where they live. England seemed ahead of Wales here.
When the 20-mph default limit in Wales was initially debated, it had wide political and institutional support. Within weeks, there’s been a record-breaking petition calling for its reversal. I couldn’t understand the reaction, so I decided to take a ‘fresh look’ at the various arguments and viewpoints.
Some truths…? –
In 1990, the Department of Transport set out guidelines for the introduction of 20-mph limits. Road safety publicity messages at the time included ‘Kill Your Speed, Not A Child’, identifying speed as crucial to reducing risk of injury in accidents.
From 1991-1999, 450 such 20-mph speed limits were introduced in the UK. By 2003, there had been a 56% decrease in accidents and a 90% decrease in fatal / serious injuries. The biggest reductions were in child / pedestrian injuries.
Road safety – reducing crashes, injuries and accidents – saving lives…
50% of road casualties in 2018, occurred on 30-mph roads. The World Health Organisation identified the most effective way to improve pedestrian safety was reducing vehicle speed. Figures and evidence here alone justify the move to 20-mph. Speed (and longer stopping distances) significantly increases the risk of injury in collisions.
ROSPA identifies a fatality risk of 1.5% when struck by a car at 20-mph rising to 8% at 30-mph. If your child runs into the road and a driver hits the brakes, a car travelling at 30-mph would be doing 24-mph when the car travelling at 20-mph had stopped. The safety argument is hard to contest, saving up to 100 lives in Wales over 10 years and preventing up to 20,000 injuries.
Improved health / well-being…
Vehicle speed is the main reason why people do not walk, cycle or allow their children to walk, cycle or scooter to school. Lower speeds encourage active modes of travel such as walking & cycling. It’s not only safer for children to walk to school, older people also feel able to travel more independently and safely. This reduces the number of cars on our roads; and in turn reduces congestion for those with no other choice.
Improved air quality and environment…
Driving at 20-mph does not mean extra pollution. Speed in residential areas is not continuous or steady. You are always braking, accelerating, pulling out at junctions, stopping at traffic lights, overtaking parked buses, delivery vans etc.
Factors contributing to pollution levels are driving style; acceleration; braking; vehicle condition; distance travelled and engine temperature. 20-mph should improve the smooth flow of traffic. Driving smoothly reduces particulate emissions. Particulate emissions especially smaller PM2.5 ones are linked with respiratory problems, diabetes, mental health conditions, depression and autism.
Costs and savings…
Welsh Government analysis puts the direct costs of the policy (changing road signs, markings and the marketing campaign) at c. £32.5m (spread over 2022-27) and the cost to the economy, c. £6.4bn (over 30 years).
Hayward identified that the £32.5m will be quickly recovered as the cost-savings from reduced deaths and serious injuries will be substantial. This also benefits the Welsh NHS more widely across other areas.
£6.4bn over 30 years equates to c. £200m pa – still a huge number. Much of these costs are attributed to short journeys. If you remove these disproportionally expensive short journeys from the equation, the costs fall to c. £57m pa, which again could easily be offset by the savings from fewer accidents.
Other factors…
ROSPA received concerns that traffic calming in 20-mph zones had negative consequences, such as vehicle damage, injury to passengers, slowing down emergency vehicles and increasing vehicle emissions.
Research showed no evidence of vehicle damage from properly negotiating humps and no permanent changes to vehicle suspensions. Levels of passenger discomfort were generally acceptable if speed limits met, and spinal impact was an order of magnitude lower than that which caused injury.
Further research showed that delays to emergency vehicles were generally in the region of small numbers of seconds.
Further evidence:
- Many countries already do it, and it works.
- Councils can keep major roads at 30-mph and arterial roads in/out of cities will not change.
- Over 0.5m children will find their walk or cycle to school safer and healthier.
- Fewer accidents and bumps which clog up towns/cities will lead to less congestion.
- Noise pollution reduced in built-up areas.
My final thoughts…
Evidence shows that 20-mph default speed limits on residential roads, outside schools and busy pedestrian areas saves lives and reduces injuries. They improve the environment create safer communities and make quieter, more pleasant places, where people feel able to walk / cycle. They reduce air pollution and benefit people’s health and the local economy.
Getting to 30-mph requires twice the energy as getting to 20-mph. People living in communities with existing 20-mph limits are positive about the changes.
Of course, 20-mph seems slow. That’s the point. It may be annoying at first as we all, as drivers, want to be at our destination. But think of the cyclists and pedestrians that benefit so hugely, and the reduced air and noise pollution.
Finally, consider that when seat belts were first introduced 40 years ago, in 1983, some will recall the widespread resistance to the change. Who would consider driving without them now?
A fuller version with references to research and evidence of pilots is posted on the Forum blog,https://wenvoeforum.wordpress.com/ where you can put forward your own views.
Wenvoe Village Hall Christmas Draw 2023
The Wind Blown Hairstyles
Valeways Walks In November
Grey Skies Did Not Dampen The Spirits
The Stress Buster Strollers
Some gloomy grey skies did not dampen the spirits of the Stress Buster strollers on their monthly walk. Smiles and chatting were in abundance as they strolled through the woods in Romilly Park, uphill on the grass of marine drive, then down the promenade to take a look at the Bull’s Nose on thr Knap beach. Next was Watchtower Bay which was at its best with the tide far out showing the golden sands. A walk through the lakeside gardens and coffee…and more chatting finished an enjoyable, fun morning out!!
October Meeting of Wenvoe W.I.
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
October Meeting of Wenvoe W.I.
Wenvoe WI met on 5th Oct in the local Church Hall where the members enjoyed a Fish and Chip supper, courtesy of the ‘Fryery’ Fish and Chip shop on Cowbridge Rd , Ely, Cardiff. Individual members’ meals were boxed , and delivered steaming hot, and were delicious. This was followed by a General Knowledge Quiz.
The following afternoon, amid lovely Autumn sunshine, our erstwhile members gathered in the Grounds of St Mary’s Church, where, under the able supervision of Mr Mike Tucker , the Church Sexton, 100 tete a tete bulbs were planted as part of the WI celebrations for the centenary of the Glamorgan Federation of WIs. The bulbs were planted in the shape of the letters WI, and immediately in front of the bench Wenvoe WI had donated to the church several years ago.
Our celebrations will be completed later in the year in December, by a Link Carol service at St Mary’s. Wenvoe WI meets on the first Thursday of each month in the Church Hall at 7pm. November’s meeting will be a demonstration of Christmas Craft by Andrea , from ‘The Daisy Chain’ in Sully, to be held on 2nd November.
New members and ‘tasters’ are always very welcome.
Jan Young ( President)
Walk at Cosmeston
FLORA, FAUNA, FUNGI AND FRUIT
LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS
FLORA, FAUNA, FUNGI AND FRUIT
Flora, fauna, fungi and fruit all featured on a fun filled,
friendly walk at Cosmeston this morning. Moorhen
babies, coots, Canadian geese, apples and blackberries
were all spotted on our walking safari. Who needs the big
5 in Kenya, when we have all this birdlife on our
doorstep!
“A Terrible Kindness” by Jo Browning Wroe
“A Terrible Kindness” by Jo Browning Wroe
This debut novel promoted an interesting and lively discussion between the Page Turners.
William Lavery is a young, recently qualified embalmer who has joined the family business. When news of the disaster at Aberfan reaches him, he immediately volunteers to attend and it becomes his first job as an embalmer. The care and compassion he shows to the mostly young victims of that terrible tragedy, was beautifully portrayed, but had a profound effect on William’s life, to the extent of leaving his wife in later years because of his fear of having children of his own. He is forced to face up to his own issues concerning family and friendship which had been left to fester over many years rather than being dealt with. The book proceeds to become William’s biography.
Following the death of his father, an undertaker in the family business, William wins a music scholarship and becomes a Chorister in a Cathedral School. However, rather than pursuing a musical career, which his mother desperately wishes him to do, family traumas redirect him into a career of embalming and results in him becoming estranged from his mother for many years.
It was mostly agreed by the Page Turners that the book was very well written, thought provoking with interesting characters, and extremely emotional at times. However, some thought that it was very inappropriate to use the tragedy of Aberfan as the opening to a fictional novel. Additionally, it was pointed out by a few of the group that the story became predictable and thus a happy ending was perhaps produced too easily. William was not always a likeable character and some of the traumas he experienced were as a result of his own actions and should not have been blamed on others.
Despite the difference of opinions, the final score of 8 confirms that this novel is recommended as a good read. A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe