Matthew Jenkins' BlogA blog about Worcester, politics and the environment

The Worcester News reported that six Worcester schools are being considered for lower speed limits outside their gates. The campaign by local residents and the Worcester Green Party to get 20 mph speed limits in their area looks like being successful.

There seems to be broad support for these reduced speed limits. However from reading some negative comments on the Worcester News website, I think it is important that people understand the bigger picture behind reduced speed limits.

By having 20 mph speed limits in residential areas, not just by schools, the goal is to reclaim the streets for pedestrians and cyclists, alongside drivers. Some people complain that parents and schools should teach road safety to children, implying that it’s their responsibility to avoid being run over and the motorist shouldn’t be penalised by having to slow down. Maybe they don’t realise that children are being taught about road safety.

However, the wider point is that reduced speed limits should not be seen as an attack on drivers, but as a way of improving the communities that people live in. Safer roads mean more people walking and cycling, which in turn reduces traffic further. Walkers and cyclists improve their health and fitness. People meet other members of their neighbourhood, thus improving community spirit.

Proponents of reduced speed limits in residential areas need to explain to those more sceptical of them of these wider benefits. Hopefully, by doing so we will convince those drivers who regularly ignore these speed limits that what they are doing is damaging the lives of many people, particularly children.