Bedford Driving Lessons

Reducing the speed limit to 20mph in all residential streets does not significantly improve road safety, an official report has revealed. Towns around the country are planning to introduce the limit in the belief that lower speeds save lives. However, analysis of the first citywide scheme in Portsmouth has shown the number of people killed or seriously injured actually increased after the speed limit was reduced from 30mph. While the 20mph limit has been widely implemented in specific streets, for example near primary schools, the case for reducing the limit in all residential streets appears to have been badly damaged by the Department for Transport report. Analysis by consultants Atkins, on behalf of the Department for Transport, found the average number of people killed or seriously injured annually in Portsmouth rose from 18.7 to 19.9 after the scheme was launched in 2007. Approval: Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker has given his backing to 20mph limits Motorists’ average speeds reduced by only 1.3mph to 18.5mph. The Portsmouth speed limit is not enforced by speed humps or cameras, instead relying on motorists obeying the law. Previous studies have found that 20mph zones in which traffic-calming measures are also deployed produce bigger reductions in drivers’ average speeds. More