Drivers are more likely to comply with a 20mph speed limit if there are also physical traffic calming measures in place, report finds.
Research carried out across six different European countries including the UK found that the extent to which 20mph schemes help reduce speeding depends on whether they are supported by other measures, such as road humps and/or changes in relative road width.
Published by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), the study found that 20mph schemes without other measures result in modest speed reductions – typically 1-2mph where before speeds are approximately 25mph, and 3-5mph where before speeds are approximately 30mph.
However, when 20mph schemes are introduced with physical measures, speed is normally reduced to less than 20mph, provided it was less than 30mph before the measures were implemented.
Margaret Winchcomb, deputy executive director at PACTS, said: ‘This report shows that public money spent on self-enforcing 20mph zones has substantially greater effects than when it is spent on just the signs and road markings of 20mph limits.’
Sonya Hurt, chief executive of The Road Safety Trust, which funded the research, added: ‘The findings will help ensure the continued roll-out of 20mph schemes can be backed by the latest evidence, and be as effective as possible in terms of reducing casualties.’
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