Speed limits for drivers on residential roads across Cheshire West have been dropped to 20mph.
Streets near schools or without off-road parking will all have the restrictions introduced.
It is hoped the changes will save lives with an estimated 6% reduction in the number of crashes.
Plans for the new limits were approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council, following the lead set by other local authorities.
Cabinet member for economic development and infrastructure councillor Brian Clarke said the scheme brought ‘significant’ benefits.
He said: “These will improve community cohesion and individual mental wellbeing.
“People will be spending more time in their street rather than trying to get away from the traffic which is actually there.
“Everyone will feel safer to walk, to jog, to cycle.”
Roads where the mean speed is below 24mph and below 30mph around schools are affected.
See where your area is affected; including Chester, Ellesmere Port and Frodsham, in our gallery below:
A funding pot of £200,000 will be set aside each year to implement the changes.
The Department of Transport estimates each road traffic collision costs them on average £99,846, including factors such as health, damage and court costs.
Self-policing limits
Parked cars and existing traffic measures are expected to help enforce the limits in an element of ‘self-policing’.
Councillor Stuart Parker said: “I have doubts about this explanation because drivers in modern vehicles are soon exceeding the speed limit without realising it.
“My biggest concern is these proposals will be imposed without the public getting the chance to vote on these proposals through a consultation process.”
In total one person was killed and 390 were injured in crashes on built up roads with 30mph limits across Cheshire West in 2014.
Road safety organisation Living Streets North West director Dave Taylor said: “If a person is struck by a vehicle at 20mph they have a 97% chance of survival.
“Just 10 miles faster this drops to 50%, all for the sake of arriving somewhere slightly earlier.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see 20mph becoming more widespread, especially outside of schools in the North West, where congestion is high and children are frequently crossing the road.”
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The borough-wide introduction replaces the old policy where 20mph limits could only be brought in with more than 50% support from households in the area.
Campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us founder Rod King MBE said: “Wide-spread 20mph limits are no longer isolated or controversial as 15 million people already live in 20mph boroughs.
“In 20’s Plenty we make much of the fact that most of the UK’s iconic cities have adopted a 20mph limit for most streets. I will be delighted to include Chester in that list.”
Speed limit assessments will now gather information about the priorities for the programme.
What do you think of this story? Do you support the new limits? Let us know in the comments below.
