Is the 20mph limit on Wirral's roads working?

We asked people in Wirral about their views on the 20mph speed limit rollout

A plan to reduce speed limits to 20mph on roads in Wirral was first introduced in the borough in 2023 in a bid to improve safety.

Since then the scheme has been rolled out to about 3,000 roads in the borough.

The council said it is helping to improve road safety and the number of people killed and seriously injured had been reduced.

But other people claim the evidence is not conclusive, that drivers are being distracted by constantly watching their speedometer and too many speed limits are being lowered.

What do local people think?

Jane Pickering volunteers to help measure drivers' speeds

Jane Pickering is keeping a close eye on drivers in Heswall.

She joined the Safer Road Watch Volunteer scheme and checks drivers' speeds as they pass through.

She said she believes it helps to make the roads safer.

"Most of the volunteers are actually local... so they live on the road that we spend most of our time working on," she said.

"I think we are making a difference."

Tony, from Moreton, said people fail to pay attention to road signs

Ms Pickering works with Business and Communities Team Leader at Wirral Council Paul Mountford.

"In some areas we are seeing drivers being quite compliant and low levels of speeding and in others, at certain times of the day, we are seeing quite high speeds," Mr Mountford said.

Each driver over the limit receives a warning letter urging them to cut their speed.

Alan Jones said the 20mph speed limit should not be introduced across all roads

But not everyone in the area agrees the speed limit is working.

One man said the signs "weren't doing any good" and that they "don't slow any traffic down".

Another - Tony, from Moreton - agreed. He said drivers do not pay attention to the signs.

"Up by us nobody takes any notice anyway," he said.

Wirral Council said there had been a 23% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on the roads since the 20mph limit was brought in

Alan Jones, from New Brighton, has started a petition against the council plans and has gathered some 8,000 signatures.

"The petition was started not to be against 20mph limits but to say why are we doing it across the whole of the Wirral," he said.

"Outside schools, I agree we need to maybe drop the speed limit but why should a road like this [main road], for instance, be 20mph 24/7, 365 days a year?"

What does the council say?

Councillor Liz Grey said statistics show a reduction in injuries and deaths

Despite claims from people living in the area that the reduction has had no impact Councillor Liz Grey, who was in charge of bringing in the changes across Wirral, said there is evidence it is working.

Ms Grey, who is Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee at Wirral Council, said the scheme had been rolled out in four phases and the data was positive.

"It's been going on for the last four years and it's been done in four phases," she said.

"The only phase that we have reviewed so far is Phase One and just in Phase One we have noticed there has been a 12% reduction in collisions and a 23% reduction in those killed and seriously injured which is a really significant improvement in road safety."

Does 20mph always mean safer?

However, not everybody agrees that 20 miles per hour makes roads safer.

Brian Gregory, Policy Director at the Alliance of British Drivers, said the move to reduce road speeds was giving vulnerable road users the impression that they are safer in 20mph limit areas but statistics did not support that.

"Drivers, because of 20mph limits, are spending more time looking at their speedometer and less time looking at the road," he said.

As more road speeds are reduced the debate rolls on between those who say 20 is plenty and those that see it as an unnecessary brake on drivers.