Pedestrian deaths and injuries support 20 mph call say Lib Dems (South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats)

South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats <info@secambslibdems.org.uk>

Pedestrian deaths and injuries support 20 mph call say Lib Dems

October 18, 2008 4:22 PM

With the call for a 20 mph speed limit for residential roads Liberal Democrats have drawn attention to county council figures which show that last year 205 pedestrians were hurt in road accidents in Cambridgeshire with 62 receiving fatal or serious injuries.

Nearly nine out of ten of these accidents occurred on urban roads and a third of pedestrians were either killed or seriously injured.

Lib Dems are demanding that Cambridge County Council the highway authority make 20 mph the default speed for residential roads because 48% of pedestrians in collision with a motor vehicle travelling at 30 mph will die, but if the speed is reduced to 20 mph deaths are reduced to 5%.

Jonathan Chatfield the Lib Dem's parliamentary spokesperson for South East Cambridgeshire explained:

"From Ely in the north of the South East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency to Histon and Impington in the centre and Fulbourn in the south, local people are calling on the county council to adopt 20 mph as the default speed for residential streets.

"In Fulbourn over 100 residents have signed a petition to have a 20 mph speed limit in Teasel Way and the other roads in the Beechwoods Estate and it has been presented to councillor David Jenkins the Lib Dem leader on Cambridgeshire County Council.

"In Histon and Impington where I live I fully support the local residents in their efforts to slow traffic down on our local roads.

"While in Ely Lib Dem county councillor Nigel Bell is campaigning on behalf of residents there to have safer traffic speeds.

"The horrendous injury statistics for pedestrians speak for themselves. They cannot be ignored by the Conservative controlled county council and there must be action on this."