Islington Green Party called today for enforcement of 20mph speed limits in Drayton Park where vehicles have been recorded traveling at twice the legal limit.
One year after the 20mph limits were introduced to all residential roads in Islington, Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones joined London Assembly candidate Caroline Russell with a radar speed "gun" to record vehicle speeds in Drayton Park, where the speed limit is 20mph. The average speed recorded was just over 30mph with one car and one lorry travelling at 40mph (twice the legal speed limit).
Jenny Jones said "It was shocking to see the speed at which many vehicles were travelling along this residential road. In a twenty five minute period we saw taxis lorries, cars and vans breaking the speed limit, some were travelling at twice the legal limit. Clearly this is a location where visible enforcement is urgently required. Police budgets may be tight but taking action against dangerous driving should be an urgent priority."
"We saw council vehicles from both Islington and Hackney breaking the limit. A Hackney Homes skip van passed us at 27mph and an Islington Council lorry went by at 40mph, which suggests that driver training is also required. Council drivers should be ambassadors for road safety and should understand that considerate driving is fundamentally important to residents. Perhaps the Council should introduce speed limiters in council vehicles or the black box technology that insurance companies use to monitor driving to bring down insurance premiums?"
"London’s transport policy should focus on the safety of those living along our streets, not just the car users that pass through. Greens want to make it easier, cheaper and more pleasant to walk, cycle and take public transport than to drive. More affordable fares, less congested roads and safer streets can all be achieved by prioritising people and public transport over cars. We don’t need to accept ever-rising congestion on increasingly polluted roads, where a small mistake on your bike or crossing the road can carry the death sentence."
"We also want to improve enforcement of the rules of the road with safety cameras, an increase in the traffic police budget and a crackdown on uninsured drivers. We’d require Safer Neighbourhood Teams to work with local cycling and pedestrian groups to enforce speed limits and take action against dangerous driving, cycling and walking."
Caroline Russell said "This wide, sweeping road is clearly engineered as a 30mph road, yet it runs past a school and has a high pedestrian footfall which has increased since the recent introduction of a Tesco store and the new housing developments at Arsenal. We invited Jenny to join us here because unlike most roads in Islington which have seen a drop in traffic speed since the 20mph limits were introduced, Drayton Park continues to suffer excessive vehicle speeds, which is downright dangerous and unpleasant for residents."
"Islington is showing London the way on 20mph with the recent decision to bring 20mph limits to main roads controlled by the council. I was at the Highbury West Ward Partnership meeting last month when the decision was made to prioritise spending on the 20mph limits on main roads running through the ward. The maps showing people killed and seriously injured on our main roads made a stark case in favour of immediate action to reduce speed and improve safety – the decision by residents was unanimous – people understand the benefits of slower moving traffic for the health, well-being and safety of all."
Ends
Notes to editors
1. The Green Party road safety manifesto is available here: http://www.jennyforlondon.org/fresh-ideas/road-safety/
2. 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%. http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/take-action/20_mph/