Camden's Labour Party will seek to introduce a borough-wide 20mph speed limit in to cut accidents on Camden's busy roads.

The Labour council's cabinet member for sustainability, Councillor Phil Jones, said:

'Introducing a 20mph borough-wide speed limit in Camden would prevent road casualties and make our streets safer spaces for all. Just a small reduction in speeds prevents accidents and saves lives.

'We want to give greater confidence to the pedestrians and cyclists who use our roads and encourage more people to switch to sustainable forms of transport.'

Department of Transport statistics show that for every 1 mph speed reduction there is an average 6% reduction in accidents.

The new limit, if agreed, would apply to all borough roads under Camden control. Camden would also initiate discussions with Transport for London regarding other roads, including the 'red routes' that they control.

Cllr Phil Jones added, 'A borough-wide rule would also ensure a more consistent environment for drivers who would no longer have to move confusingly between borough roads with different speed limits. We believe that drivers want to play their part in making the streets safer and making Camden a better place to live, work and visit.

'A report will be considered by the council's Cabinet in December and, if agreed, we will hold a public consultation on our plans. We have already had strong support for the idea from the local cycling community, groups representing pedestrians and our cross-party culture and environment scrutiny committee.

'This is not about introducing more road humps, it is about beginning to change the culture on our roads in favour of lower speeds. We will continue with small local schemes where they are supported by residents, but this is a more comprehensive proposal that would be implemented without major traffic calming measures.'

Cross-posted from Camden Labour website
http://camdenlabour.org.uk/?p=839