Twenty's Plenty

Wandsworth Friends of the Earth is compiling a petition, in conjunction with other local volunteer groups, to call on Wandsworth Council to consult residents about introducing 20mph as the speed limit on all our residential and local shopping streets.

Reducing motor traffic speeds on our streets is the single biggest measure which will make them safe, vibrant and social places, not just corridors for traffic.

If you are hit by a car at 35 mph your chance of survival is 50%. If you are hit by a car at 20 mph your chance of survival leaps to 97%. 20 mph also reduces pollution from exhaust fumes and is better for the environment and your health. Plus, with more people walking in our neighbourhood, our sense of community grows. A 20 mph speed limit improves the sociability of our streets.

Implementing a 20 mph speed limit can be done without the use of costly and complex traffic calming measures. Many local authorities across the UK, including Bristol, Portsmouth and Islington, have already adopted 20 mph as the default speed limit in residential areas.

A few of the benefits of 20 mph include:

• Increasing road safety by reducing the risk and severity of collisions
• Improving accessibility for older people
• Improving the sociability of our streets
• Improving the air quality by reducing emissions from motorised traffic
• Smoothing traffic flow by reducing bunching at junctions
• Reducing noise by lowering the levels of acceleration and deceleration of car engines

For further details please visit http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/take-action/20_mph/ or contact Susie Morrow (wls@semorrow.com)

This petition is supported by the following local voluntary groups in Wandsworth: Battersea Society; Putney Society; Wandsworth Cycling Campaign; Wandsworth Society; Wandsworth Environment Forum; Wandsworth Living Streets; Wandsworth Friends of the Earth.