Council mulls 20mph limit in towns and villages
The lower speed limit could be imposed on most roads which are currently 30mph, the council says
At a glance
Surrey County Council is considering reducing the speed limits from 30mph to 20mph on most roads
Council documents say 95% of pedestrians hit by cars travelling at 20mph survive
Similar plans to introduce 20mph speed limits were rejected last year
- Published
A default 20mph speed limit could be introduced to most roads in Surrey’s towns and villages.
Surrey County Council is developing a new speed limit policy with the aim of making streets safer and tackling climate change.
The proposed changes will a work on a presumption that most 30mph roads in urban and village settings will be reduced to 20mph.
There are almost 30 deaths on Surrey’s roads each year, on average, and a new road safety strategy will work to bring that number down and also help create liveable and “healthy” streets, the council says.
A meeting of the county council’s communities, environment and highways select committee on Wednesday will look at the plans.
Council documents show that 95% of pedestrians hit by cars at 20mph survive, dropping to around half at 30mph and to five per cent at 40mph.
They also say that in 2021, 24 people were killed and 647 were seriously injured on Surrey’s roads.
Attempts to make the default speed limit of 20mph in town centres and residential areas were rejected by county councillors last year.
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