Council To Consult On More Speed Restrictions


Roads across the borough could have 20mph limit introduced

Wandsworth Council are have begun a public consultation to ask local people if they’d like to keep lower speed limits on some of the borough’s busiest roads including Putney Bridge Road, Putney High Street Lower Richmond Road and Garratt Lane.

A 20mph pilot scheme will be introduced on some 'A' and 'B' roads in the borough where the town hall is the highway authority on a trial basis using an Experimental Traffic Order. The rollout of appropriate signage and road markings will take place over the course of the coming days and weeks.

Once implemented they will join Wandsworth’s existing borough-wide 20mph zone which has seen a lower limit in place in nearly every residential side street since 2017 – and which was extended to include five more ‘B’ roads earlier this year.

Residents can take part in a consultation that will help determine if these lower limits are retained on this latest list of 25 ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads which are being incorporated into the zone as part of a six month trial scheme.

It does not include any of the borough’s strategic trunk roads which are all controlled and managed by Transport for London. The council has previously urged the Mayor and TfL to follow suit and lower the speed limit on their network of “Red Routes” in Wandsworth to 20mph.

‘A' Roads

Albert Bridge Road
Buckhold Road
Falcon Road
Garratt Lane
Lavender Hill
Merton Road
Mitcham Lane
Mitcham Road
Putney Bridge Road
Putney High Street
Putney Hill
Queen's Circus
Queenstown Road
St John's Hill
Tibbet's Ride
Wandsworth Bridge Road
Wimbledon Park Side

‘B' Roads

Bedford Hill
Broomwood Road
Burntwood Lane
Church Lane
Earlsfield Road
Lombard Road
Lower Richmond Road
Nightingale Lane
Queen's Ride
Spencer Park
St James's Drive
Summerstown
Vicarage Crescent
Westbridge Road
Windmill Road

The council’s transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said, “I would encourage local people who support safer streets to take part in this forthcoming consultation. These are some of the borough’s busiest roads and we believe a 20mph limit will make a big difference to people’s safety and quality of life.

“We have already seen a reduction in vehicle speeds within our existing 20mph zone and it is clear that drivers are getting the message to slow down and the vast majority are doing so.

“Lower speed limits should mean safer streets and this will hopefully encourage other forms of sustainable transport like cycling and walking. It should also means quieter streets which will also be welcomed.

“Accidents involving collisions between pedestrians and vehicles are three times less likely to be fatal if the speed of the impact is 20mph compared to 30mph. Studies have shown that at 30mph, 55 per cent of collisions result in a fatality while at 20mph this figure plummets to just 17 per cent.

“We believe this change could also prove beneficial for local air quality too. A study by Imperial College found that diesel vehicles with engines of between 1.4l and 2.0l produce fewer harmful emissions at 20mph than at 30mph while smaller petrol and diesel engine vehicles both generate fewer particulates when driven at this lower speed, so this change has the potential to bolster our efforts to reduce pollution.”

Enforcement of speed limits is carried out by the Metropolitan Police with any revenue generated by speed fines goes direct to HM Treasury - not the town hall.

You can respond to the consultation on this link.

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December 15, 2020