§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the most recent assessment of the average speed of traffic in(a) central London, (b) inner London and (c) each of the 10 largest conurbations in England. [54851]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 28 July 1998,Official Report, column 117, for details of the Department's traffic speed surveys. The results from the latest surveys are as follows:
mph Morning peak Daytime off-peak Evening peak Central London 10.0 10.0 10.2 Rest of inner London 13.4 15.0 12.8 Outer London 17.0 19.1 19.0 622W
mph Morning/evening peak Daytime off-peak Bournemouth/Poole 20.2 25.3 Brighton/Hove 25.6 25.7 Bristol 18.5 22.7 Coventry 20.9 25.8 Derby 22.7 28.4 Greater Manchester 21.3 27.4 Grimsby/Cleethorpes 23.1 23.2 Hull 19.5 23.1 Leeds/Bradford 19.5 23.9 Leicester 17.6 20.6 Luton/Dunstable 18.5 23.3 Merseyside 21.1 21.5 Norwich 19.1 22.4
mph Morning/evening peak Daytime off-peak Nottingham 18.0 23.5 Oxford 20.0 24.2 Peterborough 34.2 33.7 Plymouth 24.1 25.9 Sheffield 17.3 21.1 Southampton 18.6 24.4 Stoke/Newcastle-under-Lyme 20.7 24.2 Swindon 24.9 29.5 Teesside 29.0 35.0 Tyneside 17.3 21.1 West Midlands 20.2 27.3 The latest traffic speed survey in central London was conducted in 1997, in the rest of inner London was conducted in 1995, in outer London in 1996–97, and in other cities in England in 1996.
More detailed results from these surveys are available from DETR statistical publications.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect of reducing the maximum speed limit to 20 miles per hour in built up areas on road deaths and injuries. [54911]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe Department commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to study the effectiveness of 20 mph speed limit zones with traffic calming. TRL published their report, Review of Traffic Calming in 20 mph Zones, number 215, in 1996 and found that 20 mph zones with traffic calming reduced accidents by 60 per cent., and accidents involving child pedestrians and child cyclists by 67 per cent. Accidents to cyclists were reduced by 29 per cent. Only in those 20 mph speed limit zones with traffic calming was this degree of casualty reduction achieved. This corresponded to an average reduction in vehicle speed of nearly 10 mph, to less than 20 mph.
This week TRL has published the findings of its latest study for the Department on Urban Speed Management Methods, TRL report number 363. It concludes that where speeds of around 20 mph are desired in urban areas, traffic calming remains the best option to achieve this. The use of static signs only without traffic calming appears insufficiently effective to reduce speeds to 20 mph or to achieve accident reductions. Speed reductions of only 1 to 2 mph were found. Small additional speed reductions and accident savings can be achieved with associated publicity and enforcement campaigns, but speeds are still likely to remain well above the 20 mph speed limit.