20mph speed limits

Following approval at Locality Boards, 28 ‘community backed’ 20mph schemes have been prioritised for delivery in 2024/2025. Schemes will be funded by a £300,000 investment from our Priority Investment Fund.

A further 40 eligible requests for 20mph limits were received as a part of the initial application process. It is our ambition to deliver all schemes by 2027, subject to additional funding, through working together with Town and Parish Councils and local communities.

Consultation was held between Wednesday 4 September and Friday 18 October to obtain feedback from communities on 27 proposals to introduce 20mph speed limits. Analysis of the feedback is ongoing and further updates will be available in due course.

Criteria for 20mph speed limits

Eligible applications for the 20mph policy met the following criteria:

supported by the local Parish or Town Council and/or the Westmorland and Furness Council ward Member(s)
strong local support demonstrated when Parish and Town Councils have engaged with the local community and other stakeholders
extent of the scheme is within a built-up environment of the village or town where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner (where there is large amounts of walking, cycling and scooting taking place or likely to be in the future), except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe
has an existing speed limit of no more than 40mph
is in an environment that explains and justifies a lower speed limit to the driver; noting that main roads/arterial routes will need to be considered carefully as to whether they are justified within the extent of the scheme

Information about 20mph speed limits

Introducing 20mph limits in the correct places can promote safer roads, reduce congestion, reduce vehicle pollution and noise, enhance the environment for walking and cycling and support communities having a sense of place.

Research by the UK Transport Research Laboratory has shown that that you are seven times more likely to survive if you are hit by a car driving at 20mph, than if you are hit at 30mph. If a child suddenly steps in front of a car, you are much less likely to seriously injure or kill them if you keep to a 20mph limit.

Why we are proposing to introduce 20mph speed limits

In 2023, the Council introduced a policy that made it easier for communities to request 20mph speed limits in residential areas, towns and villages to improve road safety.

Traffic speed can be a barrier to walking and cycling and increases the risk and severity of collisions. Reducing traffic speed helps people to feel more confident about using their local streets. It is safer for children to walk to school, while older people feel more able to travel independently and safely.

Calmer road speeds lead to better health, less noise, more social interaction and stronger communities.

The difference between a 20mph speed limit and 20mph zone

A change in law in 2016 made 20mph speed limits and zones very similar.

A 20mph speed limit is marked by 20mph signs on the entrance to the area with regular repeat signs to remind drivers of the reduced speed limit.

A 20mph zone requires 20mph signs at the entrance to the area, plus physical traffic calming features such as road humps, chicanes, etc.

Why we are introducing 20mph speed limits, not 20mph zones

A change in law in 2016 made 20mph speed limits and zones very similar. Since 20mph speed limits are slightly easier to implement, Westmorland and Furness Council can cover a wider area with 20mph for a similar cost, therefore achieving greater benefits across the wider area.

The benefits of reducing speeds to 20mph

Research provides a strong link between traffic speed and the severity of injury when a collision occurs. If someone is struck at 20mph, they have a 90% chance of survival compared to a 50% chance if struck at 30mph.

Travelling at 20mph provides many other benefits too:

increasing child and adult activity levels. This will improve health and wellbeing
providing a safer environment. This will encourage more people to walk and cycle
creating a stronger sense of community as more people come together to use the space.

How the 20mph speed limit be enforced

20mph speed limits are enforceable by Police where the limit is clearly marked (i.e. meeting signage regulations) and any offenders may be prosecuted.

Additional traffic calming measures to go with the new 20mph speed limits

The design of 20mph speed limit areas will take a ‘signed only’ approach, consisting of 20mph entry signs at entry points, and the required 20mph repeater signs within the 20mph limit area. These will be affixed to existing lighting columns and signposts, where possible.

The design of 20mph speed limit areas will not include any new physical traffic calming interventions, such as road humps or raised tables.

When designing the 20mph areas, other low-cost measures will be considered to complement the 20mph signage, such as improvements to road markings and signage. Any road marking proposals will be assessed on a case-by-case basis when designing each area and will be subject to available funds.

Main roads and 20mph limit areas

A 20mph speed limit is usually defined by a set of residential streets, bounded by main distributor roads – typically, but not exclusively, A-roads – which carry large volumes of traffic.

These main roads will remain at their existing posted speed limits, unless otherwise proposed following assessments on a case-by-case basis when designing the 20mph speed limit scheme.

Next steps following this period of consultation

Officers will analyse and consider the feedback gathered during consultation and undertaken any necessary changes to the design of proposals.

The final design of a 20mph speed limit will then be subject to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

There is a legally required 21-day statutory consultation and advertisement.

The advertising of the TRO will be through a local newspaper notice, street notices and the Westmorland and Furness Council 20mph webpage. Residents, businesses and the emergency services will be able to respond to the TRO via in writing via email or post (details to be provided on the TRO notice).

Objections to a proposed TRO will be considered in line with the relevant regulations by the Council’s Locality Boards for Eden, Furness and South Lakeland. Locality Boards will make their decision on approval of schemes, taking into account the objections received.

How we will monitor the 20mph limit areas

Available speed data on roads within each area will be used to determine pre-scheme vehicle speeds.

Post-scheme speed data will be obtained following implementation of the 20mph limit.

Post-scheme data which shows little or no reductions in average speeds will not be deemed as a failure of the 20mph limit scheme.

As the Highway Authority, we have a duty to set appropriate speed limits in line with its local transport strategy objectives and wider national policy objectives. Monitoring will be used primarily to understand where further interventions are needed to bring speeds down and not to decide whether to reconsider the 20mph limit.

Prioritisation of 20mph speed limit applications

An application period was opened in December 2023 to February 2024 for Parish and Town Councils to submit applications for 20mph speed limits on behalf of communities.

We received applications for 79 eligible locations, which were subject to prioritisation based on a variety of factors including identified safety issues, increased safety for vulnerable road users, and consideration of the feasibility of scheme delivery.

Based on this prioritisation process, 28 locations were approved by Locality Boards in April 2024 resulting in the 27 proposals included in this consultation.

Funding is yet to be identified for further assessment of the remaining 51 locations, and associated delivery of 20mph speed limits (where appropriate) in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

Roads not included in 20mph zones

Some roads within villages and town centres are privately owned. If this is the case, there will be no speed limit signs erected on these sections and they will not be included in the Traffic Regulation Order.

If you believe the road your property is located on is maintained by the Council and therefore not privately owned, please let us know so that we can consider this and update the proposals where appropriate.

Slower speeds and congestion

Research indicates that slower speeds encourage a smoother driving style with less stopping and starting which helps traffic to flow.

Evidence from other 20mph areas shows that, over the longer term, slower speeds encourage more people to walk and cycle, easing congestion on the road.

20mph speeds and air pollution

There is little evidence to suggest that reducing vehicle speeds to 20mph increases pollution. It is not as straightforward as more time driving equals more pollution.

Driving styles, acceleration and braking are all contributory factors to increased emissions. Other research has shown that up to 75% of road transport particulate emissions come from tyre and brake wear, not exhausts. Slower speeds encourage a smoother driving style, which ultimately decreases emissions.

Research has found that reducing speeds from 30mph to 20mph reduced CO₂ emissions up to 37.8% and NOx emissions by 51.0%. This is while only having a minimum impact on journey times. The impact of different driving styles, vehicle size, and fuel type were also investigated and found to impact the results.

20mph speed limit signage

Large 20mph signs mark the entrance of a 20mph speed limit. These signs are supplemented by smaller repeater signs or road markings of a 20mph speed limit roundel

Aims of 20mph speed limits

Our aim is to balance the needs of people driving, with the safety and environment of local residents and all other road users.

By reducing collisions and the severity and casualty impact of collisions, 20mph creates a safer environment for everyone, including people driving.

The consequences of being involved in a road traffic collision can be deeply traumatic for all involved, including drivers and passengers.

Driving at 20mph will reduce the risk of collisions and the severity of a collision when they happen, thus reducing the trauma associated with road traffic collisions for all those unfortunate to be involved in one.

20mph limits in Wales

In Wales, the law changed the default speed limit on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph.

In Westmorland and Furness, each speed limit proposal is built upon a community request from the Town or Parish Council following prioritisation and technical assessment.

If you see a 20mph speed limit in place, the reason for it may not be immediately apparent. It may be a school or playground entrance is set back from the road, for example.

Cost and savings

We have set aside £300,000 of funding for delivery of schemes in 2024/25.

The Department for Transport estimate the real costs linked with collisions. These include costs of lost output, medical and ambulance, police, insurance and admin, and damage to property:

£2.25m per fatal collision
£289,949 per serious collision
£29,127 per slight collision

Speed is often recorded as a contributory factor in collisions and therefore it is expected that introducing safer speeds will reduce collisions.

It will also support economic savings through reduced lost output costs.

Ultimately, reducing collisions will avoid the sheer devastation left with all those who are affected by them.

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