20mph on Radio Kent

Just done a piece on Radio Kent on the heel dragging by KCC to slow down traffic. They promised 20mph zones outside a number of schools in the town last year and they are still not there. Apparently they are now just 2 or 3 weeks away...

While slowing traffic outside schools is always a good thing, the real benefits come from making 20mph the norm where people live. So it is welcome that the Department of Transport is consulting on new guidance that says:

Traffic authorities are reminded that they can, over time, introduce 20 mph zones or limits into:
Major streets where business on foot is more important than slowing down road traffic and
Lesser residential roads in cities, towns and villages, particularly where this would be reasonable for the road environment, there is community support and streets are being used by pedestrians and cyclists. 

Where they do so, general compliance should be achievable without an excessive reliance on enforcement.

We want to make it clearer that highway authorities have flexibility in the use of 20 mph zones and limits, and should apply the option best suited to the local circumstances and that brings most benefits in terms of casualty reductions and wider community benefits.

Contrast that with this recent statement from KCC: it is recommended that the existing policy for 20mph schemes should be promoted only as part of a Casualty Reduction Scheme

Radio Kent had a guy from the Association of British Drivers who was quoting statistic from the AA. It is time that KCC stopped listening to the road lobby and started looking at the facts.