Over 100 city streets will get 20mph limit

[davieG]

Merc

More than 100 city streets are set to become 20mph zones – and more could follow.

Leicester City Council plans to impose the speed limit in 114 roads in six areas of the city early next year.

• ​

It comes after 84 per cent of the thousands of residents asked for their views gave the proposals their backing.

Assistant city mayor Rory Palmer, the council's transport spokesman, said he was pleased residents were behind the £100,000 scheme.

"I think that it can only be described as overwhelming support, which is excellent for a very important scheme," Councillor Palmer said.

"I think people generally see it as common sense to have 20mph zones around where they live and work.

"The main things that attracts people I think is that they like to have the confidence to let their children walk to school or pop to the shops in safety."

The streets included are in parts of the Westcotes ward and Belgrave West, as well as the Cottesmore Road, Tudor Road, Western Road and Willow Brook Road areas.

The roads, which currently have a 30mph restriction, have been chosen because they already have some traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, which will make enforcing the new limit easier.

Two further areas – streets around Saxby Street and Maidstone Road, both in Highfields, Leicester – are currently being considered as potential 20mph zones, as part of a rolling scheme to improve road safety around the city.

Coun Palmer said: "As for rolling it out for all residential streets, it is not something we have planned, but at the same time we would not rule it out.

"There are other cities, such as Oxford and Portsmouth, that have 20mph limits on every residential street and we will watch them to see if it makes a difference there."

The council consulted 7,615 residents in six areas of the city during the summer. About 1,500 responded, with 84 per cent supporting the plans.

The public now have until January 3 to lodge any complaints. It is hoped the zones will be in place in March 2012.

[The Doctor]

Coventry players will soon be going up and down them at 30 then, they need to pick up 3 points somehow.

[Leicester_Loyal]

20 MPH is too slow.

[MikeyT]

Have the people who thought this up tried driving at 20mph? Are they actually aware of how slow this is?

I've seen faster Snails.

[Bert]

It's good for My street, Tudor Road. Too many people go too fast down there. I'm sure knocking 10mph off the limit isn't going to have a major bearing on your life.

Some people need to get a grip. Lives are more important than going fast in your cars.

[Trav Le Bleu]

What Bert said. In fact most of the streets mentioned are so clogged with parked cars and have so many speed bumps that doing 20mph is probably very sensible.

[James.]

Nice bit of spin from that assistant mayor.

Personally I'm not convinced that approximately 17% of people asked supporting the proposal can be classified as "overwhelming support".

[Trav Le Bleu]

Of course the problem is, have you ever seen speed limits being enforced on side roads, cos I know I haven't.

[acooling08]

Of course the problem is, have you ever seen speed limits being enforced on side roads, cos I know I haven't.

Can you imagine the cost of putting speed cameras in 1000s of side streets?

[Thracian]

Merc

More than 100 city streets are set to become 20mph zones – and more could follow.

Leicester City Council plans to impose the speed limit in 114 roads in six areas of the city early next year.

• ​

It comes after 84 per cent of the thousands of residents asked for their views gave the proposals their backing.

Assistant city mayor Rory Palmer, the council's transport spokesman, said he was pleased residents were behind the £100,000 scheme.

"I think that it can only be described as overwhelming support, which is excellent for a very important scheme," Councillor Palmer said.

"I think people generally see it as common sense to have 20mph zones around where they live and work.

"The main things that attracts people I think is that they like to have the confidence to let their children walk to school or pop to the shops in safety."

The streets included are in parts of the Westcotes ward and Belgrave West, as well as the Cottesmore Road, Tudor Road, Western Road and Willow Brook Road areas.

The roads, which currently have a 30mph restriction, have been chosen because they already have some traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, which will make enforcing the new limit easier.

Two further areas – streets around Saxby Street and Maidstone Road, both in Highfields, Leicester – are currently being considered as potential 20mph zones, as part of a rolling scheme to improve road safety around the city.

Coun Palmer said: "As for rolling it out for all residential streets, it is not something we have planned, but at the same time we would not rule it out.

"There are other cities, such as Oxford and Portsmouth, that have 20mph limits on every residential street and we will watch them to see if it makes a difference there."

The council consulted 7,615 residents in six areas of the city during the summer. About 1,500 responded, with 84 per cent supporting the plans.

The public now have until January 3 to lodge any complaints. It is hoped the zones will be in place in March 2012.

The hypocrisy makes me weep.

Funny how our local politicians are so keen to "consult" the public when they know the answer is what they want, but so unwilling to listen when they get told not to do something as with partial removal of the market roof and creation of the mostly deserted "continental-style piazza.

Pity they didn't "consult" the public on the mayor's potential £44,000 rise as well!

[davieG]

A simpler solution would be to have road humps that match the speed limit instead of ones that you have to slow to 5mph to get over thus causing more pollution and having cars accelerating in between thus creating a far more dangerous situation.

[Trav Le Bleu]

A simpler solution would be to have road humps that match the speed limit instead of ones that you have to slow to 5mph to get over thus causing more pollution and having cars accelerating in between thus creating a far more dangerous situation.

I Agree. They are total overkill that causes the effect you're speaking of. It also makes it more dangerous for pedestrians because it's harder to judge approaching cars that are constantly accelerating and decelerating. I'd hate them in my road.

[Thracian]

A simpler solution would be to have road humps that match the speed limit instead of ones that you have to slow to 5mph to get over thus causing more pollution and having cars accelerating in between thus creating a far more dangerous situation.

Driving Leicester's sidestreets is already like auditioning for the part of Captain Pugwash's boat and this will make it worse. I hope they'll be siting "danger of motion sickness" signs too.

[Thracian]

I Agree. They are total overkill that causes the effect you're speaking of. It also makes it more dangerous for pedestrians because it's harder to judge approaching cars that are constantly accelerating and decelerating. I'd hate them in my road.

There might be a case for a really big one approaching the top of the bridge in Swain Street. Then we could take a run up and fly right over Highfields.

[Finnegan]

I was going to say something on the lines of what Bert has.

You have to imagine that most of the target streets are streets that you can either can't drive particularly quick down or shouldn't be driving particularly quickly down.

Tudor Road is a good example, it's narrow enough as it is and it's stacked full of people parking their cars. The council can lower the speed limit or force people to park elsewhere, what's likely to get the most uproar?

It sounds like a lot but a hundred streets is nothing, really.

Oh and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Soulsby sack the panel that suggested a forty grand payrise and reject it for the time being?

[davieG]

Driving Leicester's sidestreets is already like auditioning for the part of Captain Pugwash's boat and this will make it worse. I hope they'll be siting "danger of motion sickness" signs too.

Not sure why it would be worse, I'm not suggesting more humps just more suitable ones where they already exist. The report says most of these 20mph to be roads already have humps on so they're obviously not working because people go above 30 in between the humps, encouraging a steady consistent speed seems to me to be more suitable for all parties.

[DB11]

What's the point in it when it says the scheme is going to cost £100,000 ? They won't be enforced, and if, as you say, there are already traffic calming measures and you can't go fast anyway, that's even more a point of asking "Why?"

[Thracian]

What's the point in it when it says the scheme is going to cost £100,000 ? They won't be enforced, and if, as you say, there are already traffic calming measures and you can't go fast anyway, that's even more a point of asking "Why?"

The market revamp cost £600,000 and there was no worthwhile point to that either. Perhaps that's the key. If they can't waste money in national government they'll sure think of ways to waste it locally so as not to give the impression that anything's getting any better!

[Thracian]

Not sure why it would be worse,

Cos even after you've negotiated the immitation rollers, you'll still be crawling along like a hearse.

Some people freewheel in neutral to save fuel and I can see people going the whole hog and pushing their cars through Leicester.

Perhaps the council should save the cost of street signs and issue pedal cars for in-town driving instead. As least during daylight hours.

And, anyway, who the hell can do 20mph along Tudor Road or in Highfields?.

I reckon it's just a ploy to make money either way. If drivers are caught speeding they'll be fined and asked how they did it. If they drive under 20mph they'll be done for kerb-crawling!

What women will think I don't know. Is it even safe for them to drive at under 20mph in inner City Leicester at night?

It might force them off the roads altogether.

Ummmmmm....when does the scheme start?

[Rincewind]

On the plus side there will be less visiting the A&E at the infirmary. But maybe that doesn't matter.

[Thracian]

On the plus side there will be less visiting the A&E at the infirmary. But maybe that doesn't matter.

That's right - because you're out of work you start supporting schemes that will get rid of other people's jobs.

Perhaps the council should ban people dying and put the whole undertaking profession out of work.

It's alright stopping the odd pedestrian getting flattened. But look at the consequences. Less work for doctors, nurses, hospital porters, catering staff, insurance policy salesmen, pharmacists, X-Ray technicians, dentists, laundrymen, taxi drivers, the list is endless.

They may feel miserable at the time but road traffic casualties do so many people a favour. Bloody hell there's not enough jobs around as it is and you want to close A&E's perhaps even across the nation!

You're just like the miners. They moaned like hell about their working conditions, the grim reality of long hours in cramped conditions down the pit, the ever-present danger of radon gas, the scourge of pneumoconiosis and all sorts of other ailments.

Yet when Thatcher shut the mines and seemingly did them all a favour in getting them out of those hellholes, they grumbled even louder.

Do you want an A&E department or not? Cos if you do, they need some sodding patients. Instead you'd prefer that Leicester City Council spend £100,000 so pissheads just get bumped and not knocked over when they jaywalk in the middle of the road.

Well, quite apart from the jobs aspect, what will that teach em? Not that it's a daft thing to do because they end up in traction or worse. But that it's okay. That they can all walk in the roadway cos it's no big deal and no-one gets hurt!

Get real. If there's not enough patients to fill the hospitals they'll have to import some more from abroad. And that'll mean more congestion in the streets, more pressure on the welfare system and more need for public service jobs.

Bloody hell. What a clever idea by those wily old councillors! .

[Father Ted]

Don't see the point, don't see many people going any slower just because the signs have changed. Obviously in some areas something has to be done but this will make very little difference and will cost a lot of money. For example, Saxby Street has speed humps as it is and it would be pretty hard to go much more than 25 anyway! Councillors make me laugh.

[The Doctor]

That's right - because you're out of work you start supporting schemes that will get rid of other people's jobs.

Perhaps the council should ban people dying and put the whole undertaking profession out of work.

It's alright stopping the odd pedestrian getting flattened. But look at the consequences. Less work for doctors, nurses, hospital porters, catering staff, insurance policy salesmen, pharmacists, X-Ray technicians, dentists, laundrymen, taxi drivers, the list is endless.

They may feel miserable at the time but road traffic casualties do so many people a favour. Bloody hell there's not enough jobs around as it is and you want to close A&E's perhaps even across the nation!

You're just like the miners. They moaned like hell about their working conditions, the grim reality of long hours in cramped conditions down the pit, the ever-present danger of radon gas, the scourge of pneumoconiosis and all sorts of other ailments.

Yet when Thatcher shut the mines and seemingly did them all a favour in getting them out of those hellholes, they grumbled even louder.

Do you want an A&E department or not? Cos if you do, they need some sodding patients. Instead you'd prefer that Leicester City Council spend £100,000 so pissheads just get bumped and not knocked over when they jaywalk in the middle of the road.

Well, quite apart from the jobs aspect, what will that teach em? Not that it's a daft thing to do because they end up in traction or worse. But that it's okay. That they can all walk in the roadway cos it's no big deal and no-one gets hurt!

Get real. If there's not enough patients to fill the hospitals they'll have to import some more from abroad. And that'll mean more congestion in the streets, more pressure on the welfare system and more need for public service jobs.

Bloody hell. What a clever idea by those wily old councillors! .

I've got to be reading this wrong because you seriously aren't suggesting encouraging speeding & car crashes to create more patients for A&E?

[dave the caveman]

Of course the problem is, have you ever seen speed limits being enforced on side roads, cos I know I haven't.

In 20mph zones they often are. That's more or less the only reason they ever reduce any speed limit. Bring it down, put in a speed camera. Pretend it's about safety, revel in your newfound source of cash. Hills are the favoured places. Take a downhill road with a 60mph speed limit, drop the limit down to 50mph on the steepest part of the hill, and then laugh all the way to the bank.

If you've seriously never noticed this, then you're either not a driver, or you will notice it from now on.

[Webbo]

I've got to be reading this wrong because you seriously aren't suggesting encouraging speeding & car crashes to create more patients for A&E?

Didn't the

.

Give it away?