Plan for blanket 20mph speed limit across North Yorkshire would be ‘unrealistic’, inquiry finds

Scheme would damage area’s economy and be too tough to police, report says – but campaigners condemn ‘appalling’ verdict

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Controversial proposals to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit in every town and village across the country’s biggest county have been described as “unrealistic” in an inquiry into the idea.

North Yorkshire was set to become the UK’s largest region to implement the default cap in all built-up areas, if plans being investigated by the local council had been given the go ahead.

Campaigners had said the potential scheme was forward-thinking, environmentally-progressive and a potential life-saver in a county where there were 37 road deaths in 2018.

But an internal study has now concluded such a limit would damage the area’s economy, be expensive to police and was unnecessary on safety grounds.

It said local communities already had enough power to demand 20mph zones for specific areas without county-wide restrictions being implemented from above.

“It is unrealistic for there to be a blanket approach of 20mph speed limits existing in all settlements in the county and to cover a wide area both in terms of cost and enforcement,” the report summary stated. “Speed limits should reflect the nature of the road and in essence be self-explaining.”

It added that technological developments – such as automatic braking and speed limiters – were already making roads safer without such limits.

The conclusions appear to end any hopes the region may take a lead on the issue, with campaigners on Wednesday saying it showed a lack of foresight.

"It's an appauling verdict," Rod King, founder of the 20’s Plenty For Us campaign group, told The Independent.

He added: "The whole world is beginning to move towards 20mph. It is safer, improves quality of life for residents where it is implemented and has environmental benefits. So, this was a real chance for North Yorkshire to get to the front of the issue and lead by example; to show it cared about the safety of its children and residents. It is a missed opportunity."

The study into a potential scheme was ordered in 2018 by North Yorkshire County Council’s then transport scrutiny committee chairperson Mike Jordan.

He asked for 20mph to become the default in all built up areas with excptions made for certain roads where safety at higher speeds could be proven.

But Don Mackenzie, the council’s current executive member for transport, said he was now minded to agree with the report, which will be fully released in April.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “I would share the opinion that a blanket 20mph limit is unrealistic for many parts of North Yorkshire, bearing in mind that North Yorkshire Police will not enforce them.

“We follow national guidelines which suggest 20mph limits should be self-enforcing. If mean speeds are much higher, such as 24mph, then we have to introduce other methods to reduce the speed of traffic, such as chicanes or speed humps. However, these are expensive and can prove unpopular.”