The South East London authority said 72 per cent of Greenwich roads already have 20mph speed limits
Greenwich Council has announced plans to introduce a borough-wide 20mph speed limit to “save lives and create safer, more welcoming streets”.
The South East London authority said it was making the move because the road safety benefits “were clear” and it hopes to instigate the changes later this year. Greenwich Council also said 72 per cent of Greenwich roads already have 20mph speed limits and so bringing in the blanket limit would “make it easier for drivers to understand and follow”.
Cllr Calum O’Byrne Mulligan, Greenwich’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Climate Change, Waste and Streets, said: “We are proposing to align with other London boroughs with a 20mph default speed limit on council-managed roads, improving safety and consistency.
“Most accidents in the borough happen on our faster moving roads, where accidents are more likely to have serious consequences, and fatalities are known to be five times higher for accidents at 30mph than those at 20mph. Safer speeds are a simple but powerful way to make our roads safer and more welcoming for everyone in Greenwich.
“These proposals, which would bring the few local roads that are not already 20mph in line with the rest, can also make it more straightforward for drivers with consistent speed limits across the borough.”
According to Transport for London (TfL) data, 939 people were killed or seriously injured on Greenwich roads in the last 10 years. Roughly 77 per cent of those killed or seriously injured were hit on streets with speed limits of 30mph or above.
Greenwich Council hopes the borough-wide 20mph speed limit will reduce the number and severity of road traffic collisions, make walking and cycling safer and improve neighbourhoods for residents.
The council said the move would benefit pedestrians and cyclists as well as drivers, claiming that traffic flows better at 20mph and car users were more likely to get injured on 30mph roads as well.
Some roads, including TfL roads such as the A2, A206, A102 and other strategic routes, are not included because they are managed by TfL rather than the council and will remain at their current speed limits.
No final decision has been made on the proposal and Greenwich Council is progressing its plans to hold a statutory consultation on a proposed Traffic Management Order (TMO).
Greenwich residents can have their say on the proposals by emailing the council’s Traffic Team at [email protected] or writing to them at Traffic Team, Floor 3, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ and quoting the TMO reference T9/26.
Kensington and Chelsea, and the City of Westminster have blanket 20mph limits on all council-managed roads.
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