New 20mph zones agreed despite concerns drivers will not slow down

A new 20mph zone will be implemented in Ramsey and Bury, despite concerns drivers will not follow the new speed limits. Police had raised concerns that the lower speed limits would not be self-enforcing, leading to expectations its officers will need to do more enforcement.

Cambridgeshire County Council ^[1] has said it will introduce the new 20mph speed limits in the two villages, as well as 40mph buffer limits on some of the roads leading into the villages. The authority said the 20mph zone had been requested by Ramsey Town Council and Bury Parish Council.

The county council said it recognised some drivers will not slow down, but insisted the speed limits would be “largely self-enforcing”. The authority has been working to introduce more 20mph speed limits across Cambridgeshire ^[2] to try and improve road safety, as well as to encourage people to walk and cycle more, and reduce pollution.

Concerns had been raised by Cambridgeshire Constabulary ^[5] that the speed limit would not be self-enforcing creating an “expectation” that more policing resources should be used for targeted enforcement. However, the force did say that it supported the overall strategy and did not object to the whole proposals.

County council officers said they had noted the concerns, but said in the interest of “consistency, inclusivity, and clarity” they still recommended the 20mph limit to apply to all the roads. Members of the public had also raised concerns that there would be “minimal or no enforcement” of the 20mph speed limits.

Concerns were raised that the change could increase the number of collisions due to people having a “false sense of security” that traffic would be travelling slower. While council officers said it was accepted some drivers would “disregard” the speed limits, and that there would “little police enforcement”, they said the limits would be “largely self-enforcing”.

Officers also disputed there would be an increase in collisions, as they said the lower limits would create a safer environment. Support for the 20mph zone had been shared by those running supported accommodation for people with autism in Ramsey, as they said the measure would help them to encourage their service users to have greater independence to visit the shops in the village.

The 20mph zone was considered by the county council’s traffic manager and Councillor Adela Costello at a meeting on November 9 ^[6]. A report published by the authority said Cllr Costello had said there was “strong support” for 20mph speed limits near schools. It also said she highlighted that there had been two recent accidents involving students from Ramsey Abbey School and one accident involving a student from the Spinney Primary School.

The report said: “In the case of Ramsey and Bury, most of the roads are well-suited to a 20mph speed limit because the width and alignment of those roads, plus the presence of parked vehicles, naturally moderate traffic speeds. Those factors should ensure reasonable compliance with the 20mph limit.

“Concerns regarding compliance were acknowledged, however, together with many of the roads being suited to the 20mph speed limit because the width and alignment of those roads, plus the presence of parked vehicles, naturally moderate traffic speeds. Those factors should ensure reasonable compliance with the 20mph limit.”

The report said additional traffic calming measures could be funded at a later date if they were required. The papers also highlighted that the funding for the scheme from the Department for Transport needed to be spent within this financial year, otherwise the money would need to be returned to the government.

References

^{^} Cambridgeshire County Council (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Cambridgeshire (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Stretch of Cambridgeshire guided busway to be shut for three days for ‘essential maintenance work’ (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Infamous St Ives bus trap immortalised in watercolour painting by Cambs artist (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} Cambridgeshire Constabulary (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
^{^} meeting on November 9 (cambridgeshire.cmis.uk.com)