Just spotted this in The Times from last year - I didn't
know that 60% of our city's streets were going to be 20 mph
in 6 years - who'd want to drive a car then? I reckon the
council are after Cambridge's number 1 slot in time for the
2011 census ;-)
Traffic speed limits of 20mph have cut dramatically the
number of road casualties in Hull. The city council has
imposed the limit on 26 per cent of its roads, and has a
target of 60 per cent by 2010. The reason, it says, is that
it works: since the first scheme in 1994, the number of
road casualties has fallen by 14.3 per cent, against a 1.5
per cent rise in the wider region. Among children, there
has been a 64 per cent fall in road deaths or serious
injuries. There are now 120 zones covering 500 streets, and
they cost an average of £39,000 to implement. In most cases
"speed cushions" are used, but one, on a busy shopping
street, is a pedestrian crossing whose light remains red
for cars until after it detects that one has stopped. The
newest 20mph zone is aimed at protecting Hull's cyclists,
whose work trips are six times the national average
--
Simon M.