The Council's Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee met on 29/4/14 and the Traffic Regulation Orders (Speed Limiting Orders) for our three streets were passed without further debate.
This is excellent news and means that we now await implementation i.e. for the 20 mph signs to appear.
Thank you all for participating.
The decision list is on the council website at:
http://bit.ly/1mgZWde
Please reconsider the decision NOT to reduce the speed limit on Preston Drove, Stanford Avenue, and Surrenden Road to 20mph.
Why is this important?
Hundreds of pedestrians have to cross these intimidating roads every day, many of them children attending a number of local schools, particularly Balfour Primary, Downs Infant and Junior, Dorothy Stringer, Varndean and The Montessori School.
There are also two parks adjacent to the roads (Blaker’s and Preston which are a popular choice for sports, recreation and walking), a busy local shopping area, homes for older people and several children’s nurseries.
We urge the city council to prioritise the needs of people for safer roads where they live, shop, work, play and go to school and reduce these traffic speeds as soon as possible.
Preston Drove and Stanford Avenue were excluded from the 20mph speed limit scheme on the basis that they are "key bus and taxi routes", but buses only use sections of those roads or are infrequently scheduled, so they are not key routes.
Surrenden Road is a wide dual carriageway in a residential area and the traffic presents a clear risk to children and adults. It has been the subject of a long term community campaign for road safety improvement.
There is overwhelming evidence that reduced traffic speed reduces casualties and mitigates the effects of road traffic collisions. Research shows that 20mph zones in London have reduced overall casualties by 42%, and the reduction was greatest for younger children. The study concluded that: “20 mph zones are effective measures for reducing road injuries and deaths.” 20 mph speed limits on these three roads would bring enormous benefit to the people using them. Speed reduction should be urgently applied.
