Global News of 20mph and 30km/h Speed Limit Progress 2019 – Blog post by Anna Semlyen, 20’s Plenty for Us National Campaign Manager Aug 2019

Canada has enjoyed recent big breakthroughs for slower speeds. Well done to Graham Larkin from www.love30.ca and many other slower speeds activists there.

Vancouver passed a motion on 30km/h limit pilot project for side streets and residential areas in May 2019 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-30km-h-speed-limit-side-streets-residential-areas The adjustment would require a change to the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA), which currently calls for a 50 km/h speed limit if driving within city limits.

One of the motion’s main arguments is that the survival chance for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle travelling at 50 km/h is a mere 20%. Decreasing the speed limit to 30 km/h would increase the probability of pedestrian survival to 90%.

Victoria’s Mayor Lisa Helps is also reported as pushing British Columbia to allow ‘blanket zones’of 30 km/h in June 2019 https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/victoria-mayor-pushes-b-c-to-allow-blanket-zones-of-30-km-h-1.23867454

The City of Edmonton decided on 30km/h both on collectors and neighbourhood streets in the inner core of the city in May, but need a bylaw to enact it that won’t come forward till January 2020. https://voicesfortrafficsafetyyeg.ca/2019/05/15/what-edmonton-city-council-really-decided-about-residential-speeds/#more-435

France -Lille is going 30km/h from this August https://www.lille.fr/Actualites/Lille-a-30-pour-une-ville-apaisee for most roads except distributors. See the plan at file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Plan-ville30.pdf

Scotland - Highland councillors urgently called on the Scottish Government to introduce a national 20mph speed limit in residential areas  https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/twenty-is-plenty-for-councillors-180255/

Wales agreed 20mph would become the national default limit in May 2019. A task group will report on the practicalities of how by June 2020 http://www.20splenty.org/welsh_government_to_set_20mph_default