BCP Council votes to roll out 20mph speed limits across built-up residential areas in Christchurch, Walkford and Highcliffe

PLANS to roll out 20mph speed limits across whole neighbourhoods in Christchurch sparked fierce debate among BCP councillors at their latest meeting.

The authority is proposing to lower the speed limit to “create safer neighbourhoods”, but some members stressed the “weight of public opinion was against it”, while others slammed a lack of public consultation.

Residents attended to speak out against the move, claiming there was little evidence to justify it and arguing drivers would face longer journeys as a result.

A report presented to the full BCP Council meeting stated the existing 20mph limit schemes across the region – which are enforced by signs only – had seen a 48% reduction in casualty collisions.

The council now wants to allocate £149,000 of the Local Transport Plan Capital Grant from government to extend those 20mph schemes to residential roads and streets in built-up areas.

These include vast areas across Christchurch, Highcliffe and Walkford.

Many councillors agreed there was a clear case for lowering the speed limit in certain areas, but pushed for introduction only “in the right locations with the right engagement”.

Independent Cllr Steve Bartlett told members to take heed of the situation in Wales, which was seeing a possible government U-turn on its 20mph default speed limit in residential areas.

“I cannot agree with this paper at all,” he said. “The main reason is that the weight of public opinion is against it – we’ve seen the turnaround in Wales.

“From the feedback that I’m getting in my ward, I’ve not had a single person offering support for this – they don’t want it.

“In addition, the paper is very weak – there are no hard statistics that substantiate this policy. On top of that, the interventions on safety are already available to us – where we need 20mph zones, we’ve got them around schools; who’s going to argue against that?”

Labour Cllr Peter Cooper, representing Hamworthy in Poole, said he was working in Wales when the lower speed limit was brought in.

“In the cities it was wonderful,” he said. “It really changed the relationship between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists; but on the arteries it was a nightmare – you go from 60, to 40, to 20.

“In Hamworthy they feel they’ve not been spoken to. Communities need to come with us on this – there are massive repercussions if we don’t think clearly and collectively.”

Conservative Cllr Philip Broadhead proposed an amendment to the recommendation, calling for a more evidence-based approach. But Cllr Sue Aitkenhead countered this would fail to take into account residents’ opinions.

“If people in a street want a 20mph limit, they should be able to get it,” she said. “But I don’t believe we should be imposing it.”

Cllr Kate Salmon was also opposed to the amendment: “We shouldn’t be waiting until somebody is killed before introducing road safety measures; it’s madness.”

Cllr Patrick Canavan said the scheme’s success was reliant on the public’s “goodwill” because there will be “no way of enforcing it”.

“If we don’t consult them, you are not going to get that goodwill,” he said. “We all want to reduce casualties, but to approach it in this way is just clumsy.”

Backing the rollout, Cllr Millie Earl, vice-chair of the council, said that as a representative of communities that have real concerns about speed, the council wants to give neighbourhoods an opportunity to slow the traffic on their streets.

“This paper does not describe a blanket approach,” she said. “There are many roads where it would not be appropriate to introduce a 20mph limit, based on need and capacity.

“Instead, this is to extend the benefits of 20mph to other residential areas.”

Council leader Vikki Slade said that without the limit being “focused on neighbourhoods”, there would be a hotchpotch of roads with 20mph limits.

“There is no point in making one road 20 if the next road isn’t,” she said. “Doing it in clusters allows people to get from their home to the local shop or park or school.

“A scattergun approach doesn’t have the effect we want – it’s like having a cycle lane that doesn’t go anywhere, that doesn’t go from A to B; the purpose of this is to do exactly that.”

Members voted to “recommend delivery of 20mph speed limits on a neighbourhood basis with a focus on residential roads”. They also agreed to consult residents on the proposal, but no launch dates have yet been confirmed.