PJA works at both the local and national levels to assess the evidence for introducing area-wide 20mph speed limits in response to aspirations to improve air quality and road safety and encourage more walking and cycling.

At the national level, and in a world first, Welsh Ministers passed a resolution in Summer 2020 to proceed to landmark legislation to introduce a national 20mph default speed limit.

This was in response to the final report from the Welsh 20mph Task Force Group, which was chaired by PJA.

The new speed limit, which will apply to restricted roads with street lighting at 200 yard intervals, is expected to become law by April 2023.

PJA contributed to the 20mph taskforce group by including findings from international research showing that a 20mph limit on most urban roads and streets will result in fewer collisions and casualties, including a reduction in child deaths.

It also found that the speed limit reduction will lead to more walking and cycling, improvements in air quality and lower noise levels.

In future it will be quicker and cheaper to roll out 20mph limits over wide areas as local authorities will only need identify the far fewer sections of road where a higher speed is justified.

Recommendations on implementing and enforcing the new speed limit, as well as engineering, marketing and evaluating the success of the legislation are also included. The report from the Welsh 20mph Task Force Group can be read here.

At the more local level, PJA was appointed by Faversham Town Council’s “20’s Plenty Working Group” to set the context of a town-wide limit.

Our initial assessment concluded that many of the town’s streets exhibited the typical characteristics of streets where 20mph limits could be introduced consistent with best practice from other places with extensive 20mph schemes.

We also suggested that there was scope for low-cost design measures to be introduced to create a road environment that is consistent with a 20mph limit, a key factor in compliance and enforcement, on those roads where higher speeds might be encountered.

Following a more detailed feasibility study by PJA. the town-wide 20mph limit boundary has now been adopted by Kent County Council, who are now in the process of implementing it during Summer 2020 as part of a 6-month Experimental Traffic Order.

PJA undertook design work in 2020 for the necessary signage and road markings required.

Further information on the 20’s plenty report is available here.

Image: Anna Semlyen