The Green Party has welcomed a new NHS report (1) on road deaths and injuries that recommends a general speed limit of 20mph in all residential areas, something that has been Green Party policy for many years.

The report from the Directors of Public Health in the North West advocates the 20mph limit because of the high rates of deaths and injuries caused by speeding traffic, particularly to children. The report notes that of all the child casualties that occur on our roads over four-fifths are on roads with a speed limit of 30mph. The report concludes that if 20mph speed limits were applied in these areas up to 140 serious injuries or fatalities amongst children could be avoided, in the North West of England alone.

Exeter Green party has praised Devon County Council for the introduction of 20mph limits to many streets in Exeter, but believes that this should be rolled out to every residential street in the city. They say that if drivers know that the limit on all of Exeter’s streets is 20mph this will reduce the need for traffic calming measures such as road humps and bumps which are generally unpopular. Such a limit will make the city’s streets safer, calmer and more appealing places to be, say Exeter Green Party.

Rouben Freeman of Exeter Green Party said:

“People’s safety, and particularly the safety of children, needs to be the number one priority when considering appropriate speed limits. Senior Health officials have now agreed with what the Green Party has said all along, that the appropriate speed limit for residential areas is 20mph. The streets and roads of Exeter should be for all users and not just those in motor vehicles.  By reducing speeds we would increase safety for all including pedestrians and cyclists, and encourage more sustainable ways of travelling.”

Notes:

The full report, Road Traffic Collisions and Casualties in the North West of England, was produced by the North West Public Health Observatory in conjunction with NHS North West, the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, the Child and Maternal Health Observatory and the Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group. See http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/Forms/rta.html

Story published in Express and Echo