20 mph speed limits
Personally I’m pleased that many London councils (but not, as yet, Wandsworth) have adopted 20 mph as the default speed limit on their roads, as is the whole of Wales, on the basis that it improves safety for all concerned and reduces fuel use.This, of course, has drawn criticism from all the usual suspects, but the most extreme I've seen is from Penny Mordaunt, quoted in The Times today as saying (about the Welsh policy) that it is not just "insane" – that would have been bad enough – but "absolutely insane." She goes on to say “More disturbingly, it is going to increase individuals’ fuel bills considerably and actually be harmful to the environment.” She also claims that it will cost the Welsh economy £4.5 billion.All of this is nonsense, especially the extraordinarily extreme language about the policy’s supposed insanity, but the claims that it will increase fuel bills and harm the environment are quite simply wrong: "Reducing peak road speeds in areas where people live, work or play saves energy and cash. Research into typical stop/start urban traffic by Future Transport reveals fuel efficiency peaks with speed capped at 20mph. Drivers benefit from up to 10p per mile in fuel savings without trips taking longer. That’s a 30 per cent saving in urban fuel costs." (https://shorturl.at/lryW8). And the £4.5 million claim is, unsurprisingly, made without the benefit of anything as trifling as evidence.What's disappointing about this stuff is that until now, Mordaunt had seemed one of the more reasonable members of our benighted government. What on earth has got into her?
Richard Carter ● 1149d38 Comments ● 1146d