Thanks to Christian Wolmar for his insightful article on a 20mph limit and how it would be a good thing for Birmingham (Dear culture-war motorists, look to the future. We’ll all be driving at 20mph soon, 28 August). He is right to identify that the world has changed from when the car was king and we planned our city mobility almost exclusively around automobiles.
At 20’s Plenty for Us we have seen our movement developing from being classed as radical in the 2000s, to progressive in the 2010s and the new normal in the 2020s. As 20mph limits have been adopted by progressive authorities, we have seen the significant benefits extend beyond pedestrians and cyclists to those who drive.
There is clear evidence that when implemented on a wide scale, as in Wales, the average motorist benefits. Journeys for drivers took less than a minute more on average, and journey times were more reliable; car, van and taxi occupant casualties on urban and village roads were reduced by 29.6% in the first year; and insurance costs were reduced by £45 for the average driver owing to 20% fewer damage claims.
These are real gains for the average motorist, who also benefits from 20mph being the foundation for people to choose to walk or cycle instead of being in another car in front of them. Of course, when they are not in their car, the same people benefit, and their community becomes a safer and less stressful place.
Some drivers will always object to community needs being placed above their own judgment. But the world has changed, and soon a 20mph speed limit will be the urban and village norm, making all of our places better places to be.
Rod King
Founder and chair, 20’s Plenty for Us CIC
Good luck to Birmingham city council with their plan for a blanket 20mph speed limit. However, many speed cameras were turned off a decade ago to make austerity savings. As a result, current speed limits are widely (and sometimes enthusiastically) ignored with apparent impunity – particularly, it seems, the existing 20mph limits on residential roads.
If there’s a war on motorists here, it is one that motorists are now winning: if existing limits are not enforced, it seems unlikely that simply extending the zone will result in a change in behaviour.
John Hopkin
Moseley, Birmingham
