"20's Plenty" say Lewes Green Party

Green town councillor Susan Murray recently attended the Green Party's spring conference in Cardiff and noted how a workshop on road safety in local communities, chaired by Green MEP Keith Taylor, chimed with views expressed by activists and local residents here in Lewes. When Keith Taylor visited Lewes on 4th March Susan and, fellow councillor, Roger Murray were able to take him down to Landport estate to see an area where residents have asked for a community wide 20mph limit to be introduced.

Susan says, 'Such a scheme is perfectly feasible and has been introduced across many local authorities – such as Portsmouth and Lancashire, with relatively small cost implications. Indeed 5m UK residents already live in towns which are adopting, or have adopted , this policy – through democratic debate they have decided that “20's Plenty where people live” and have then changed their behaviour to drive slower where people live, walk and cycle. It is about time local councils around here pressed East Sussex County Council to do the same. The Green Party will be calling for action, alongside the Living Streets campaign, which has done an excellent job in promoting 20mph limits.”

The Green Party supports 20mph limits for Lewes because slower speeds benefit large numbers of non-car users, reducing noise and allowing better urban design standards for quality places. Those currently suffering the greatest inequalities tend to live nearer to busy roads and therefore benefit more from 20mph limits. Health improvements come from reduced local emissions, improved air quality and increased likelihood of a shift to active modes of transport like walking or cycling, to say nothing of reduced fatalities and serious injuries in accidents.When 30 km/h (18.5 mph) zones were introduced in Germany, car drivers on average changed gear 12% less often, braked 14% less often and required 12% less fuel – clearly good for air quality as well as reducing the impact of driving upon climate change .

Such a change is not anti-motorist and indeed offers many advantages to them, which must be why 72% of drivers support 20 mph speed limits on residential streets. (British Social Attitudes Survey 2005)

Driver benefits include:-

1 Fewer car user deaths and injuries. Overall there were 22% fewer casualties in Portsmouth: drivers had 23% fewer and passengers 31% fewer after 2 years of wide area 20 mph limits.

2 Fuel use, CO2 and costs fall 12% - see German experience above

3 Less congestion. At 20 mph more cars can fill the same road space due a shorter distance between each compared to 30 mph, improving ‘flow’. Less road risk encourages more people to walk, cycle and take buses, freeing them from unnecessary car use, thereby cutting traffic.

4 Less parent’s taxi duty. Road danger reduction brings safer independent child travel freeing up parents for more productive work than driving their children around.

5 Society benefits. Fewer road victims frees up medical facilities for other health needs. Fewer work days are lost. Widow, disability benefit and care savings. Active travel cuts obesity and heart disease. Inequalities reduce as fewer poor children die. Quality of life rises.

Surely it is time for East Sussex County Council to agree that 20's Plenty.

Councillor Susan Murray along with many others is standing for the Green Party in the May local elections.