British drivers’ group slams planned 20mph speed limit across London
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 8, 2019
- 2 min read
A British drivers’ group has slammed plans to make all Transport for London (TfL) roads 20mph in the centre of the capital. The Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) has questioned the validity of the consultation put forward to the public and the motives behind why the regulator is forcing the lower speed limits onto motorists.
TfL are pushing ahead with their proposals for “Safer Speeds” in central London, which means 20mph speed limits enforced by cameras on many major roads in London.
TfL propose to implement the lower limit on key roads in central London by 2020, and then in phase 2 they will extend lower speed limits to the inner ring road, and high-risk roads and town centre roads in the rest of London by 2024. Raised tables will be used at pedestrian crossings and elsewhere to slow traffic and all speed cameras will be recalibrated to the new lower speeds. Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) will also be used to ensure drivers are aware of the new limits. In a public consultation on the topic to all road users, less than 2,000 responses were received. Thirty nine percent of the responses came from cyclists, which the ABD highlights as unrepresentative of the general public and shows how pressure groups dominate such consultations. Roger Lawson of the Alliance of British Drivers, said: “What is the likely impact on road casualties? From the experience of the City of London where a 20 MPH limit has been in use for some time, the impact will be negligible. But it will make life more difficult for drivers and result in many more speeding fines as the police will be stepping up enforcement measures. This is one more step in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to deter people from using cars in London. “London is becoming a ghetto of anti-car fanatics. These proposals are being advocated in the name of road safety despite the fact that TfL refuse to give any estimates of the alleged benefits, probably because they know they will turn out to be false. The proposals are likely to be an enormous waste of money and contribute further to TfL’s budget deficit. “We are still pursuing a FOI Act request to obtain TfL’s internal reports justifying these proposals which in their usual anti-democratic approach they have refused to release.”
