Islington says “Twenty’s plenty”

The Islington Tribune reports that Islington Borough Council has gone for a twenty mile an hour speed limit on every road controlled by the local authority (ie this excludes the larger TfL roads). This is fantastic news that road safety campaigners across London will be delighted by.

Green Party activist Caroline Russell told the Tribune she “welcomed the plan, but said there were “caveats”.

“It shows that Labour seem to be changing their attitude towards traffic, and that it’s something residents care about,” she said. “Cllr Convery should be praised. The police are not enforcing 30mph zones, so he is right to go ahead with this despite their objections.

“But speeding is illegal. Local authorities seem to have become frightened by the talk of bashing the motorist, so are not using speed cameras. But if motorists want to be anti-social then why shouldn’t they pay a fine that can then be invested in making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists?

“We are not going to see these 20mph zones in the short term because enforcement will not be implemented,” she added. “But it opens up the possibility for them to be enforced when more money is available.”

Labour’s Cllr Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for planning, regeneration and leisure, said: “We’re on the side of our residents and are committed to making Islington a safer place.

“This is a bold step, but there has been strong support from local residents and councillors for extending 20mph in Islington and we are taking a firm lead.

“Of all major motoring offences speeding is seen as the least socially unacceptable, but it’s a killer. Someone hit at 20mph has a 90 per cent chance of survival. At 30mph, it’s 50 per cent.

“Drink-driving was once seen as not that bad – today it is rightly seen as completely wrong. We believe Islington’s pioneering approach will one day become the accepted standard in London and other cities.”