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'Killer Roads' or Killer Speed Limits? PDF Print E-mail

‘Killer Roads’ or Killer Speed Limits? - Why the ‘Killer Roads’ campaign won’t achieve its objective while the national speed limit is 60mph

'KILLER ROADS' OR KILLER SPEED LIMITS? relaunch of THINK! rural road safety campaign: 'Killer roads: Government campaign highlights hidden dangers of speeding on rural roads' (DfT press releases 03/10/2007)

The Government must take some share of the blame for the rural road deaths which it ostensibly seeks to address with the relaunch of the THINK! Rural speed campaign. It has abundant evidence, from research it has commissioned, that the national speed limit is too high. There is good evidence to suggest that the gap between the speed limit and actual speeds could be encouraging drivers to take risks which lead to death and serious injury. The 60mph national speed limit gives the wrong message to drivers about appropriate speeds on the majority of our single carriageway network. The review of speed limits which local highway authorities is now undertaking provides an opportunity to introduce a new system of speed limits which would give better information to drivers about appropriate speed choice. At the very least the current campaign should be revised to tell drivers what research has shown about rural road quality, speed choice and crashes.

'Killer Roads' or Killer Speed Limits? (248 Kb pdf)

Government speeding penalties consultation announcement 9 November 2007 PDF Print E-mail
The Slower Speeds Initiative welcomes the news that the Government proposes to raise speeding penalties for very excessive speeding.
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20's Plenty Useful resources PDF Print E-mail
New guidance from the Department for Transport and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department of Communities and Local Government), the 'Manual for Streets' makes the case for 20mph limits for all streets where people should have priority over traffic. The Manual for Streets attempts to redress the balance in urban design, restoring 'place' over 'traffic'. While it is aimed primarily at lightly trafficked roads in new developments, it is also intended to guide highway authorities in reworking existing streets. It's a good introduction to essential principles, good practice and design, as well as issues your local authority has to address in managing streets.

The updated guidance to local authorities on Setting Local Speed limits (circular 1/06) is less helpful, but still states that 'local speed limits of 20 mph are, however, encouraged in situations where there is a particular risk to vulnerable road users' (paragraph 68). This is an improvement on the consultation draft. (See our response to the 2005 consultation with further arguments for a default 20mph limit, pp7-8 and pp16-18 of the full response.)

The Department for Transport also publishes Traffic Advisory Leaflets, technical guidance to highway engineers, including on traffic calming.

A February 2000 Panorama programme on speed provides a compelling introduction to the origins of the 20's Plenty campaign. It shows the impact of road death and why vehicle design is critical to creating civilised streets.

See also our links to useful references sites.
Our work: sustainable speed limits PDF Print E-mail

SPEED MANAGEMENT AND SPEED LIMITS - SSI response to Government consultation on updated Circular Roads 1/93 Setting Local Speed Limits
The Government has recently consulted on new guidance for setting speed limits, following on from a promise in the 2000 Road Safety Strategy to provide new guidance taking all road users into account. The proposed speed assessment framework has the possibility of opening a new era of evidence-based speed limits, but the logic of the approach is not followed through. The new guidance will not make the network significantly safer for pedestrians and cyclists or improve quality of life for communities. Communities should have a voice in determining appropriate speed limits. For more about the response, click here.


SPEED AND SUSTAINABILITY — EVIDENCED-BASED SPEED LIMITS
None of our speed limits have an empirical basis, despite the importance of speed to the overall efficiency of our transport system and its range of impacts. Speed directly affects the frequency and severity of crashes, journey times, fuel consumption and emissions, noise, vehicle operating costs, highway capacity and the amount of land needed for roads. Indirectly it affects transport mode choice by introducing danger and by encouraging dispersed development. Visit our Sustainable Speed Limits Introduction page.


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20's Plenty

Getting the Genie Back in the Bottle PDF Print E-mail

Slower Speeds Initiative research shows speed reduction the single most effective measure to cut carbon emissions from road transport now.

Joint research undertaken by the Slower Speeds Initiative and the UK Energy Research Centre shows that a lower top speed limit would be the most ‘significant, certain, immediate, equitable and cost-effective’ way to reduce carbon emissions from road transport.

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