Councillor calls for wider adoption of 20mph speed limits across Suffolk after successful implementation in Bildeston, near Sudbury

Reduced speed limits of 20 miles per hour should be introduced more widely, according to a Suffolk councillor, after a survey showed its positive impact in a village near Sudbury.

Traffic monitoring in Bildeston found that the average speed of vehicles travelling in both directions had decreased since the introduction of a ‘signs-only’ 20mph limit through the village.

A week-long survey on the High Street in December – 12 months after the limit was implemented – found that northbound speeds had fallen by 24 per cent year-on-year, from an average of 25mph to 19mph.

For southbound traffic along the same round, there was also a drop of 11 per cent, from 19mph down to 17mph.

Currently, towns and villages can make requests to Suffolk Highways to adopt 20mph speed limits – providing they comply with county council policy, and have the support of their local representative.

However, Robert Lindsay, the county councillor for Bildeston, argued the process for implementing such schemes was too convoluted, and called for 20mph to become the default in built-up areas.

He suggested that the results of the traffic survey in the village showed that signs alone had been successful in encouraging changes to driver behaviour.

“This shows 20mph speed limits in built up areas can make a difference even without any engineering or police enforcement,” said Mr Lindsay, a Green Party councillor.

“It took more than 10 years for myself and the parish council to jump through all the myriad hoops the county council put in our way to get a 20mph limit here.

“We were met with the constant refrain that drivers wouldn’t slow down without police enforcement and heavy engineering like speed bumps or build outs.

“But, in fact these safer speeds have been achieved without any police enforcement or any engineering, just signs.

“Drivers, this survey shows, on the whole do obey speed limit signs, and even those that don’t, do slow down with a lower speed limit.

“It’s high time the county council’s Conservative administration dropped its opposition to default 20mph limits in villages and towns.

“But, the excuse they always use for rejecting 20mph limits is that police won’t enforce them and that the engineering required is too expensive.

“These arguments are just not valid in most built up areas. The rules can make exceptions for areas where communities say a lower limit won’t work.

“In Wales where this has been done, they have found deaths and injuries drop by 28 per cent on 20mph roads.

“Even the insurance companies have recognised this, because people’s insurance premiums have been slashed if they live in 20mph areas in Wales.”