Reducing city speed limit to 20mph a 'no brainer'

A proposal to reduce the speed limit on many roads in a city to 20mph (32km/h) was hailed a "no brainer" as a council voted in its favour.

Colchester City Council voted for the change, affecting streets "where people live, work, play or learn", at a meeting on Thursday.

The authority will now write to Essex County Council, which makes decisions about roads, to ask it to consider the move.

Local taxi driver Peyman Oyarhossein said he was "totally opposed" to the move because of increased pollution.

Colchester's Labour group, with the backing of the Greens, put forward the idea for 20mph to become the default speed limit across the city.

But it was an amendment put forward by the Conservatives, giving people more say over which roads the change would apply to, that got given the green light.

Tory councillor Roger Buston said: "There are areas of our city where I certainly agree that 20 is plenty… especially around schools."

Mark Cory, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat-led council, said the changes would "not necessarily" increase traffic.

He told the BBC: "If we can reduce speeds, we encourage people to cycle more on safer roads. We want to introduce more cycle lanes that are separate to roads and do not disrupt traffic."

Members of the 20's Plenty campaign, which set up a group in Colchester in October, held a rally outside Colchester Town Hall before the meeting.

The group was set up after the death of 13-year-old Taylen Ireton who was hit by a car in the city's Mersea Road in September.

Campaigner Jean Quinn told the council she was proud of the UK's road safety record and that lowering speed limits was the next logical step.

Labour councillor Dave Harris, whose ward includes Mersea Road, said too many people had been killed by speeding drivers.

"I'm worried about all the local estates, especially the larger ones where it's so easy to put your foot down without realising what you're doing," he told the BBC.

Mike Lilley, who represents Rowhedge, where the speed limit has already been reduced to 20mph, said it had made the village safer.

"It works. It's enforceable. It's a no brainer," the Labour councillor told colleagues.

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