Enfield Council announced a consultation this week for 20mph speed limits on residential roads and ‘town centres’. There is a lot of detail on the council website, and we recommend you check it out. This is the flyer arriving through your door.
Better Streets for Enfield has campaigned for 20mph as the default limit for some time, so we see it a very welcome development. It can go further, as we outline below.
28% of Enfield’s roads are currently 20mph, but the average is 70% and in over half of London’s boroughs it’s 95%+. We need to close the gap.
In this article we make clear why, and what you can do to make it happen.
1. Enfield has a problem
Safety is a big issue in Enfield.
Enfield’s casualty rate for pedestrians is 28th out of 32 London boroughs. We recommend taking a look at Crash Map for all the issues, including fatalities, in recent years.
20 mph schemes work – speeds fall and safety increases with it.
This study was published in May this year and showed huge reductions in collisions, casualties and injuries. It’s based on over 150 schemes in London.
Car insurance companies are taking note too – premiums have been falling in Wales since the introduction of 20mph for urban/village roads.
We know most motorists are careful drivers, but for the vast majority of Enfield’s roads we argue that 30mph is not careful enough.
20mph schemes save huge amounts of money too. Road injuries and deaths generate huge medical and societal costs. Even a small reduction in Enfield would save millions every year.
But safety is not the only issue.
2. This is about more than safety
20mph areas are healthier and more people-friendly too.
The constant acceleration to, and braking from, 30mph causes a lot of pollution from fuel, brakes and tyres. A 20mph limit is the equivalent of taking half the petrol cars off the road.
Electric cars are not pollution free either. They are heavier than those using petrol/diesel, and both brakes and tyres rely on friction to work. As the Daily Mail put it, tyre pollution is the ‘dirty secret of electric cars’.
Then there’s the noise.
Slower speeds, and less acceleration, means lower decibels. 20 mph halves perceived noise compared to 30mph as cars move at steadier speeds.
3. Transforming our borough
The bigger picture is about the borough we all want to live in.
Over 80% of pedestrian casualties are on 30mph roads. It is currently not safe enough for pedestrians, cyclists or wheelchair users.
When speeds fall people feel safer, and then they get from place to place in other ways. That leads to a further fall in pollution.
People feel empowered to get out on the street, local businesses benefit from the increased footfall, and communities become stronger.
We want every parent to feel that their children are safe walking to school, and for every elderly person to stay connected with their community. Lower speeds reduce loneliness.
There may well be times when motorists feel frustrated, but the payoff is considerable. The majority of journeys in Enfield are not made by car, but we are well behind the London average.
Enfield can become a much more pleasant place to be for everyone.
4. You can make it happen
First, you can respond positively to the consultation and support the changes for a safer, healthier, people-friendly Enfield. This is with one caveat in the final point below.
Secondly, you can help with enforcement.
We are not going to have, and do not want, speed cameras on every street. We will need more than we have, particularly in the busiest areas, and will also benefit from some high-profile police activity to show that changes will be enforced.
Everyone who drives can also help with enforcement by sticking to a 20mph limit.
There may be some who feel the urge to overtake others, but when everyone sticks to the limit it will get tiresome.
Enforcement can be greatly assisted by a culture we all create.
Almost twenty years ago the smoking ban came in. It worked because a silent majority wanted it to happen and smoking in bars and restaurants became socially unacceptable very quickly. The same can happen with speeding.
5. The council can go further
These proposals are a great step forward, but they do not go far enough.
A blanket 20mph for residential roads is very welcome, and we understand the need for a roll out (although three years feels too long).
The policy of ‘town centres’ in addition to residential roads does not go far enough.
Enfield Town, Ponders End, Southgate, Edmonton Green, Angel Edmonton, Cockfosters and Palmers Green are all included, although not in their entirety.
Winchmore Hill, Lancaster Road, Arnos Grove, Bush Hill park, Silver Street, Freezy Water and many, many others are not included.
Given the overwhelming evidence it is not good enough for some residents and communities to be safer and healthier than others.
When you reply, make sure you ask for every area with shops and facilities to be included.
Everywhere in Enfield should have an opportunity to benefit from a safer, healthier, people friendly borough.