All the latest news from 20s Plenty for Us. E-news for October includes latest research on how 20mph lowers emissions, a new briefing on how your local Parish or Town Council can support 20mph, more county campaigns launched, diary dates and much more

October 2021 e-news

Parish and Town Councils can pass motions supporting 20mph where people live, work and play.  As well as helping your place to achieve a 20mph speed limit, this helps other towns and villages by showing Highways Authority the demand for 20mph county-wide, making it both cheaper and easier to implement across the county.  

30mph / 50kmh speeds aren’t cutting it for our 21st century lives. They’ve already been rejected by Spain, Wales and local authorities covering 1/3rd of UK population as not fit for purpose. Attend a free webinar on Thursday 20 May at 2.30pm for UN Global Road Safety Week on how nations are setting national default 20mph/30kmh for urban and village #streetsforlife.

There are some great UN resources available for Global Road Safety Week.

Streets for Life Toolkit

Streets for Life Policy Brief

Streets for Life Myths and Facts

You can also download the images below. Just right click and "Save the image":

Download the pdf for the "I support" poster

The UN is calling for action on speed on our streets, worldwide, where we walk, play and live.

Low speed, liveable streets are essential and urgent.

• Urgent because low speeds save lives.
  
  
• Urgent for public health, by making walking and cycling safer and more accessible, enabling and encouraging healthy
  lifestyles. Liveable streets are more crucial than ever as we respond to COVID-19.
  
  
• Urgent for the Global Goals and for our climate, as a key that unlocks a virtuous cycle of zero carbon active travel, shifting
  from car dependence, enabling thriving public transportation, cleaner air and lower CO2 emissions.
  
  
• Urgent for social and racial equity, as it is lower income and minority communities who are most exposed to high-speed
  traffic, and the road danger, environmental hazard and social exclusion it causes.
  
  
• Urgent for the rights of people with disabilities; for the elderly; for all who are vulnerable.
  
  
• Urgent for our children and youth, and vital for their wellbeing. They are most at risk on the streets where they live, play and
  travel to school. Every day 3000 children and young people are killed or seriously injured on the world’s roads. A child hit by
  a car at 20 mph (30 km/h) can survive. Hit at 50 mph (80 km/h), most will die. Speed kills.

The 2020 Stockholm Declaration, adopted by governments worldwide, calls for a focus on liveable streets and, in line with
available evidence, a maximum road travel speed of 20mph where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix. The focus of UN's Global Road Safety Week in 2021 is 20 mph.

Commitment to this approach must be at the forefront of the new Decade of Action for Road Safety to achieve the Global Goals.

Now is the time to urgently deliver on this call to action by reducing, designing and enforcing traffic speeds that are safe for
everyone, everywhere, prioritising low speed streets in all residential areas and near schools.

Streets for health. Streets for climate. Streets for people. We must act together to create #StreetsForLife.

Images in support of UN's Global Road Safety Week 2021 can be downloaded here

Global pressure is mounting on legislators to reset speed limits for #Streetsforlife – designed for flourishing human activities. Whether protecting humans and quality of life in Kent or Kenya, it’s 20mph/30kmh that’s global best practice where people mix with motors. Norming 20mph/30kmh is the sole call of the biennial UNGRSW by the UN and WHO. Local politicians must update policy to #ActOn20mph #Love20 #Love30.

Ask National Government elected representatives for decisive action too. Email your MP

Use our new calculator to see the casualty reductions and financial benefits from implementing 20mph for your Local Authority or for England, Scotland or Wales as a whole. 

Ask your local election candidate to pledge their support for 20mph.

20s Plenty for Us has created a template letter for campaigners to ask their local council candidates to pledge support for 20mph. Originally designed for county council elections, the template can be adapted for use in (e.g.) Mayoral, Police and Crime Commissioner, borough / district  or parish council elections.

20s Plenty for Us has created a template letter for campaigners to ask local council candidates to pledge support for 20mph. Also included is a pledge card that the candidate can sign, be photographed with return to the local campaigner.  As well as county council elections, the template can be adapted for other elections, such as Police and Crime Commissioner, borough / district  and parish council.

Current information, press releases, briefing sheets, blogs, FAQs and news about 20's Plenty

Residents want the freedom to choose how they travel. 20mph on our streets brings that choice. People, particularly the elderly, fear the intimidation from high speeds on residential streets and in town and village centres.