The UN are calling for 20mph or 30km/h speed limits to become the norm in places where people on foot or on bicycle mix with motor vehicles. It is the key focus of the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week running from 17th-23rd May.

This is backed by science and the call from communities to set speed limits that are compatible with liveable communities.

Local governments in towns, cities and villages around the world are rejecting nationally set 30mph or 50km/h speed limits as no longer “fit for purpose” in meeting the needs of citizens and society. 20mph or 30km/h is now seen as the maximum safe speed limit where motor vehicles mix with pedestrians and cyclists unless there are adequate segregated and crossing provisions. 

National governments should set 20mph or 30km/h as their national default urban/village speed limit.

Many people ask what to do if the average speed on a road is 25mph or above. Can you set a 20mph limit? Lets consider what I call "The 25mph Conundrum".

Setting speed limits based on what drivers think is the right speed is a flawed approach. This is considered in a recent report from NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials). It concludes that "Relying on a percentile-based system focused on current driver behavior, rather than a defined safety target to set speed limits, significantly limits cities’ ability to reduce traffic deaths.

So lets go through the logic of solving this conundrum for UK situations.

I have been having a discussion on LinkedIn with some engineers on the choice of building "self-explaining" roads rather than wide-area speed limits after posting this infographic.  My response was rather too long for the usual character limit on LinkedIn, hence it initiated this blog.

Here we have some pictures used by campaigners. You can right click on any of the images to download them.

Use this photo for your Valentine day Tweets, Facebook and social media posts

Campaigners in Chester making and using 20mph signs to remind drivers to keep to the speed limit

An Irish child calls for 30km/h limits in UN Global Road Safety Week 2017

Aldersgate Street, London

Our banner being used outside a school in Buntingford

Blackfriars Bridge, London - a main arterial road into the city.

A driver shows support for a 30km/h limit

A council banner used to support engagement with drivers in London Borough of Camden

The squeezed cyclist

Enforcement in 20mph areas.

Creative campaigners during Halloween

Children gain most from 20mph limits making their roads better places to be

Campaigners for a 30km/h limit in Argentina

Community event in the Isle of Wight

Another lamp post banner in Lambeth

See the world through the "eyes of a child" and 30mph becomes scary.

Another arterial road with a 20mph limit.

20's Plenty for cyclists

Do you like Quality Streets?

A 30mph urban limit is no longer "fit for purpose" in our towns and villages.

A bike isn't just for Christmas - its the key to children's independent mobility

20's Plenty across the world - This picture from Seattle

Each year thousands of residents use their waste bins to say that 20's Plenty 

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan made 20's Plenty one of his pledges before election.

Life is simply better at 20. 

Intelligent Speed Assistance - What it is and how it will affect compliance on speed limits

A briefing by Rod King for the Welsh Government 20mph Task and Finish Group - 30^th December 2019

Here we show some graphics that may be used. You can right click on any of the images to download them.

Our Valentine's Day card 2021, including a 20mph poem, proved popular.  Here it is...

We have re-created the paper plates first used in Hertfordshire for children to say whey they want a 20mph limit. Here are some examples.

The template for the plate is here.

Also available as a Word Doc or a PDF file

A 20's Plenty colouring page for children - Created by Sue Nicholls in our 20's Plenty for Hertfordshire campaign

Also available as a Word Doc or a PDF file

 How 20mph/30kmh limits with public engagement beat physical calming in cost effectiveness

Impact speeds (MPH) and the equivalent fall from height.

The field of vision to observe pedestrians at 20mph and 30mph

How vehicle noise decreases between 30mph and 20mph. A 3db decrease is equivalent to halving the noise.

British Social Attitude Surveys over the years have shown a consistent 70% in favour of 20mph for residential roads.

Risk of death for children

Speed: The facts. Taken from a WHO publication.

Healthier, Safer, Cleaner graphic

How speed Kills Infographic

20 Saves a Plenty graphic from Bristol Cycling

Its physics! People ask about how 20mph limits reduces emissions. This graphic shows the difference in energy (from fuel) required to reach 20mph or 30mph.

A nearly universal aspiration in communities is to make traffic speed compatible with community life and human survivability.  A 30mph limit is no longer fit for purpose for urban and village streets. Lower default limits are being set. Choose 20mph.

Among urban and village improvement options, 20mph ranks top for cost effectiveness. Over a wide area, 20mph benefits all road users and the whole community. Casualties fall 20%[1], noise almost halves and active travel rises. Councils can afford it.

[1] http://www.20splenty.org/20mph_casualty_reduction

The Scottish Government has published its Road Safety Framework to 2030 Draft for consultation.

We applaud the vision within this that "Our vision is for Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030." 

Scotland's road fatalities per million population stands at 30 this is considerably greater than leaders such as Iceland at 17 and Sweden at 22. Whilst such a radical vision is laudable we are concerned that the plans are not radical enough to catch up and overtake other countries in terms of road safety.

Our response to the consultation points out that much more must be done if Scotland's performance is to match its' aspirations. It makes particular reference to speed management. 

Star community campaigner Amanda Russell has won a National Award from the charity Brake for 20mph volunteering. She began 20’s Plenty for Faversham and the town now has the first 20mph town-wide scheme in Kent. Bravo!

We were asked to write an article for the annual Road Safety Markings Association's annual magazine.

20’s Plenty – for the 2020’s

A few year’s ago I had the pleasure of speaking at the RSMA annual conference and noticed the strong commitment to making our streets safer. In that I explained how the movement for slower speed limits on community streets was evolving.

The 20’s Plenty (or Love 30 as it is known in km/h countries) was making great progress this year even before the Covid-19 pandemic and the realisation that we all needed more space and safety to move around our cities, towns and villages.

Clocks go back Sunday 25 October meaning darker nights. Sunset will be from 4.45pm and nightfall from 6pm.  20mph limits widen drivers’ fields of vision. This helps see hazards and take avoiding action earlier. Drivers can stop in half the distance compared to 30mph. 20mph reduces the kinetic energy with fewer deaths or life changing injuries.

We now have banners available which are 2m long and 60cm high. Why not encourage your school to purchase one for their fence? Remind drivers that 20mph limits are about enabling the community to feel and enable people to feel more comfortable walking and cycling.

The banners come with eyelets and are from 210gsm polyester fabric which may be washed and recycled.

They cost £35 each plus £10 for post and packing. To purchase 1, 2 or 3 banners then just click on the £45, £80 or £115 donations buttons on the left and this will trigger us sending you the banners. Please allow approx 5 working days for delivery. For more than 3 banners or deliveries outside UK please contact us. 

For the second Decade of Action for Road Safety the United Nations has endorsed the setting of 30km/h (20mph) maximum speed limits wherever pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users mix with motor vehicles.

Children used to roam further than now. There’s COVID yes, but they still need to go places alone. Traffic fear is key.  Wide 20mph limits enable kids to get out - to relatives, friends, parks, shops, play, walk, scoot and cycle.  Confident, sociable, independent, healthy, active travel habits form on safer streets. Obesity, anxiety and loneliness reduce.  Families lead better lives. They say “it takes a village to raise a child” – and that’s so much better with a 20mph limit.

In 2019 the Welsh Government said that 20mph should be the default speed limit for residential areas. The Task Force Group it set up to “identify the practical actions needed to implement this change” has now reported. The Senedd will debate “Introducing 20mph Speed Limits in Wales” in its session on 15^th July 2020.

Organising a 20mph campaign at county council level has many advantages. Our new email a decision maker facility will  work best when communities across an authority work together. There’s power in numbers and especially in focussing on updating policy rather than competing to be a 20mph exception in an otherwise 30mph county.

With less traffic on our roads recently, local authorities have been instructed by the Department for Transport to re-allocate road space for walking and cycling – but it’s unclear how long these schemes will last. Worryingly, there is also evidence to suggest that speeding is on the increase on less congested roads. Many local authorities are considering implementing 20mph limits to enable citizens to use streets, roads and public space safely.

There are also calls for a national default 20mph limit from doctors and many local authorities. The Welsh Government has announced a plan to change its national default urban limit to 20mph. The UK government recently signed the Stockholm Declaration resolving to set 30km/h (20mph) limits as a default where cyclists and pedestrians mix with motors.

This free webinar was held on Thursday 25th June, organised by Landor Links, and explored:

• How national 20mph limits could be implemented
• Health perspectives: road casualties and understanding the load on the NHS
• How to actively consider roads for 30mph suitability
• Setting default 20mph limits across cities and regions
• Communication, information and enforcement
• Consultation and feedback: community views of 20mph limits
• Current and future funding opportunities: signing, lining and traffic calming measures
• Motorists’ behaviour change opportunities
• What’s happening across the world
• The role of Intelligent Speed Assistance (speed limiters), mandatory on all new car models from 2022

Watch the webinar