Monday 28 November 2011

Un-joined up Green farce continues in Brighton and Hove speed limits...

Brighton Greens continue their attack on car users, even at the potential expense of children's health...

Recently three areas have been accepted to trial a speed limit reduction from 30mph to 20mph. It is interesting that all three sites are based around schools, but no argument is presented suggesting that pupil safety will be increased, each case is made on more general grounds.

However, being near schools does have a consequence that seems to have been completely missed - a consequence related to a previous blog post here which presents independent data showing that changing speed limits from 30mph to 20mph increases car emissions by around 15%.

http://free-english-people.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-mp-caroline-lucas-attacks.html

So while the speed limit change does nothing to improve pupil road safety, it does ensure that the children will be subject to increased pollution through car emissions.

This is the extract from the council minutes accepting the speed limit change:


3.1 The Review undertook a pilot study to test the review methodology in three demographically different areas of the City with a view to implementing any recommendations in order to assess the effect of 20mph speed limits, as opposed to zones. The difference between a limit and a zone is that a zone includes traffic calming measures intended to make the speed limit selfenforcing. The three areas in the pilot study were:
  • Eastern Area, vicinity of Saltdean Primary School selected because it lends itself to the creation of a small area which would encompass the local commercial centre.
  • Central Area, vicinity of Stanford Infant and Stanford Junior Schools, centrally located within an area subject to numerous complaints from local residents regarding safety, with a supporting collision history. This would be a medium sized scheme, including the surrounding residential streets.
  • Western Area, Portslade in the vicinity of Peter Gladwin Primary, St Nicholas C of E Junior and Portslade Infant Schools. A large area encompassing all three schools and a substantial residential area with some supporting collision history
http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=33467

Who will save us (and our children) from these troublesome Greens (and others who supported this change)?

Well I am running for the council in the current Westbourne by-election (http://paulperrin.co.uk) and will happly take up that challenge.

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