20’s Plenty 13^th Annual Conference delegates hear how 20mph is becoming the new normal

Over 100 delegates from across the UK heard how 20mph is becoming the new normal where people live, work and play.  Co-hosted by Landor Links and Oxfordshire County Council, the event was chaired by Debra Sims (Past President Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation). Academics, industry experts and campaigners shared news of national progress, local wins and the latest research on how wide area 20mph limits improve quality of life and public health.

• National 20mph in Wales from 17^th September 2023. Welsh Government representatives Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Robert Kent-Smith, Deputy Director, Transport Strategy & Policy and Jason Williams (Gwent Police) shared strategies for winning community support and the plan to roll out 20mph across Wales.
• Oxfordshire commits to 20mph and Vision Zero. Leader Cllr Liz Leffman and cabinet members Cllr Andrew Gant (Highways) and Cllr Pete Sudbury (Climate Change & Environment) explained how county wide 20mph was delivering social and environmental benefits and how the county’s active transport approach is transforming quality of life for residents.
• Overwhelming demand for 20mph in Cornwall. Cllr Philip Desmonde, Cabinet Member for Transport, spoke about the county is responding to community requests for 20mph speed limits by implementing 20mph county-wide during 2023-26.
• Societal Benefits of 20mph. Professor Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography, School of Geography and the Environment of the University of Oxford, stated:

“20’s Plenty is one of the few campaigns that has resulted in an actual improvement in peoples’ wellbeing and life chances in the UK in the last decade”

• Wide area 20mph delivers greater speed reductions. Phil Jones (PJA Ltd) presented the latest evidence from around the UK that lower speed limits lead to speed reductions that are significantly greater than previously thought.
• Emissions 33% higher at 30mph than 20mph. Research from Sam Bailey, Urban Traffic Research, shows how implementing 20mph speed limits is more fuel efficient and has low impact on journey time.
• 20s Plenty for Harrogate. Ian Conlan of 20’s Plenty for North Yorkshire said that, due to successful local activism, Harrogate Town Councillors in voted for 20mph limits to benefit 100,000 residents. Power is with County Councillors to decide.
• Rod King MBE gave Jean Conway (20’s Plenty for Oxfordshire) the Campaigner of the Year Award for “brilliant engagement and her professional approach”
  
  

Slides and voxpops from the conference are at https://www.20splenty.org/oxford20conf

Open PDF