Vote to drop speed limit

Brighton & Hove City Councillors will be recommended to give the go ahead to a proposal to introduce 20 mph speed limits in the city centre at a meeting on Tuesday, January 15.

The move follows requests from residents and is designed to improve safety on the city’s streets.

The proposal being considered at Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s Transport Committee is to introduce 20mph limits on most shopping and residential streets in the city centre. Most major roads and routes that take traffic out of the city will not be included and will continue to have 30mph limits.

If the reduction in speed limits is given the go ahead, the impact of the lower limits will be closely monitored and kept under review.

In November the committee considered the results of public consultation last year in which 3,689 people took part and 55% were in favour of 20mph limits. At that stage councillors agreed to formally advertise traffic orders detailing the proposed speed limit changes in the city centre. A report setting out representations received in response to the traffic orders will be considered by councillors at tomorrows meeting.

The city centre area covers an area stretching up to, but not including Sackville Road in the west; up to, but not including Freshfield Road in the east; up to, but not including, the A259 in the south; and to the north up to, but not including, the Old Shoreham Road up to and including Ditchling Rise (which already has a 20mph limit) and up to but not including Hollingdean and Bear Roads.

Twenty mile per hour limits could also be introduced in residential and shopping streets in other parts of the city as part of a phased introduction over the next four years, but no decisions on other phases are being taken at this stage.

Councillor Ian Davey, Chair of the city council’s Transport Committee, said:

“The idea of introducing 20mph limits is to improve safety and quality of life for residents and those who live in, or visit, the city.

“We know road safety is important to residents. In the recent City Tracker survey, when asked about levels of satisfaction with regards to the street where they live, road safety was the greatest concern.

“However, we also understand that some people are worried about the proposals and the council has received a number of objections. These will be fully discussed at the Transport Committee meeting before a decision to go ahead is taken. If the first phase of 20mph limits does go ahead in the city centre, we will it monitor it closely and keep it under review.”