Council Admits Its 20mph Zones Make Roads More Dangerous

When Bath and North East Somerset Council introduced 13 new 20mph zones at a cost of £871,000, the idea was that roads would get safer. But, it seems the changes have had the opposite effect.

A report has shown that in seven out of the 13 zones, deaths and serious injuries went up, not down, in the 12 months following their implementation.

“There is no simple explanation for this adverse trend but it could be that local people perceive the area to be safer due to the presence of the 20mph restrictions and thus are less diligent when walking and crossing roads, cycling or otherwise travelling,” the council’s report states. The review also notes that this trend does appear to be nationwide one. The results are “reflective of the national situation,” it says.

So the 20mph zones are going to go, right? You’d think so, given that the report concludes that there’s “little in the way of persuasive argument for continuing the programme in the future.” But no: the council apparently doesn’t have the cash to remove them.

The Telegraph quotes the council’s deputy leader Patrick Anketell-Jones as saying: “It has cost over £800,000 to roll out the 20mph zone and it would probably cost the same to reverse them…We just haven’t got the money. I’m pretty sure the 20mph zones will stay in place for the foreseeable future.”