Cllr Tom Crone’s maiden speech in the City Council chamber called for Liverpool to join the best local authorities in Britain that are bringing the 20mph speed limit to some or even all of their main roads. With most road casualties occurring on main roads, slower speeds on some of these roads could save lives.
You can listen to Tom’s maiden speech here:
Here is a full text of the Green Party motion….
13. Road Danger Reduction by Councillor John Coyne
Council requests the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Transport & Climate Change to reconsider his position of excluding any ‘A’ or ‘B’ classified road in Liverpool from having a 20mph speed limit.
Council notes that the delivery of the current ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign in Liverpool has been well managed and enjoys popular support and considers that popular support could be found to follow best practice in other local authorities which are now applying 20mph speed limits on some or all of their main roads.
Council regrets the recent serious casualties on the A57 and considers that slower speeds can reduce the likelihood and the severity of collisions.
Council considers that it would help the regeneration of local centres bisected by main roads if the reduction of road danger were given a higher priority than the wishes of drivers to pass quickly through them.
Council requests the Cabinet Member to identify sections of roads in main corridors such as Kensingon, Prescot Road and Smithdown Road where slower speeds would be appropriate.
Unfortunately Mayor Anderson rubbished Tom’s speech and the Green Party motion in his customary manner. You can listen to his response here:
At 6 minutes 28 seconds in, Cllr Malcolm Kennedy the Cabinet Member in charge of transport shows he misinterprets guidance from the Department of Transport and advice from ROSPA in support of his policy blocking 20mph speed limits on all ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads. He forgets that other local authorities have already introduced 20mph on main roads with high cycle and/or pedestrian movement.
ROSPA and DoT Guidance cam be found at the following links:
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformation/highway/20-mph-zones.aspx
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2733/setting-local-speed-limits.pdf
However the Liverpool Labour Councillors rejection of 20mph limits on urban A and B roads seems to have been contradicted by a speech at the Labour Party Conference by Shadow Transport Secretary Mary Creagh (See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11113207/Extend-20-mph-limit-across-all-urban-areas-to-allow-children-to-roam-wild-Labour-shadow-transport-secretary-says.html)