Some 20mph limit objectors need to hand in their driving licences

What is it about 20mph limits that gets so many drivers hot under the collar? It’s as as if the limits are a lightning rod for many people's frustrations at a changing world.

A recent article on our website describes how 20mph limits in London have contributed towards a 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions - news that prompted one reader to describe 20mph limits as 'woke stupidity'!

Some of the other comments on the article are just as wild. It’s as if traffic calming is the UK's equivalent to gun control in America.

A popular objection to 20mph speed limits appears to be the belief that drivers can only maintain a steady speed by focussing all their attention on the speedo. We'd politely suggest that motorists unable to drive safely at 20mph for this reason hand in their licence.

Anyway, as one of the founding members of the Twenty's Plenty movement, we're not about to stop promoting safer speeds.

Twenty is plenty

While the benefits of 20 mph limits are indisputable, enforcement remains a challenge. The Metropolitan Police oversees roads that see 5.5 million car trips every single day. Given that according to research by TfL, 87% of drivers break a 20 mph speed limit when they have an opportunity to do so, and that one third of London's streets are now subject to a 20mph limit, take a guess at how many drivers in London are penalised for breaking a 20 mph limit on a typical day. The answer is 117 - a figure so low as to be statistically insignificant. Read more

In the absence of town planning that places the needs of people above those of cars, widespread 20mph speed limits are a must. We can dream about the widespread dedicated cycle infrastructure, interconnected public transport and pedestrianised zones that have become standard practice in the Netherlands, but given we're already 50 years behind the Dutch, pragmatism demands we push for the second best offered by 20 mph limits.

Here at the ETA, we’re proud to have helped coin the phrase "Twenty's plenty" and thrilled that over the years it evolved into 20’s Plenty for Us, a campaign group we continue to support.

Given the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, there is no justification for 30 mph as the national speed limit. According to 20’s Plenty for Us, “The 30mph limit that was plucked out of the air in 1934 as being better than no limit, is no longer fit for purpose. It is unjust, unjustifiable and needs to be consigned to history."

There is no doubt that 20mph limits have numerous benefits. The introduction of 20mph speed limits in areas of London has contributed towards a 50 per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured on the roads (see British Medical Journal) - these zones not only reduce casualty figures, they improve quality of life by transforming streets into areas where people are happy to cycle and children are able to play.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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