Rollout of 20mph schemes in Cambridgeshire to help tackle road safety

Schemes to introduce 20mph speed limits to help improve road safety and reduce pollution are being rolled out across Cambridgeshire.

The zones are being installed in 13 villages across the county including Great Gransden, Toft, Oakington, Barton, Hauxton, Melbourn, Sawston and Duxford.

Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the highways and transport committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Speed kills. Studies have shown even a one mile per hour drop in speed reduces collisions by six per cent. Reducing speed limits from 30mph to 20mph can cut pollution by 30 per cent and reduce the chance of a severe or fatal injury in the event of a collision by a staggering 60 per cent.

“This is why it’s important we continue to create more 20mph areas.”

The work to install the zone involves installing signs, lines and markings, with all schemes expected to be completed this week.

Improving road safety through 20mph schemes is a priority of the council’s joint administration which has highlighted several benefits from the programme, including safer streets which allow residents to feel safe when walking or cycling and reduced noise and pollution.

The county council recently put in place a new process for communities to access additional funding to install more 20mph zones or limits. This year’s schemes will be going to committee in the autumn.

In addition to the £400,000 for this process (until 2025), a further £800,000 has been secured by the county council in partnership with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, for area-based schemes, across the county.

Whether a 20mph limit or a 20mph zone is installed depends on the location. A 20mph limit typically covers an individual or a small number of streets and requires signs only, whereas 20mph zones typically cover larger areas and require both signs and markings.

Oakington and Westwick Parish Council has reported seeing an decrease in speeds since a 20mph scheme was introduced in Oakington.

The county council’s commitment to improving road safety was demonstrated last October when it approved a motion to put a 20mph speed limit on any new residential roads being planned in Cambridgeshire.

To find out more about 20mph schemes, and applications, visit bit.ly/4541vCg.