Shropshire Star

Clash over move to bring in 20mph limit throughout Oswestry

Councillors in Oswestry have clashed over whether the town should be turned into a 20mph zone to prevent accidents.

Published
The 20s Plenty campaign message was brought to Shropshire by founder Rod King

In November a public meeting was held in Shrewsbury as part of a campaign called '20 is Plenty,' to turn Shropshire towns into 20mph zones. It heard representations from people around the county.

Now Oswestry is debating whether the centre of the market town should be turned into a 20mph zone.

The meeting in November heard arguments for both sides, and again Oswestry Town Councillors had their say on the matter at their latest meeting this week.

Councillor Duncan Kerr, a supporter of the plans, again backed the initiative arguing it would help keep people safe in the town, and also by changing zones to 20mph it would reduce pollution.

He said: "If someone is hit at 20 then they could survive, at 30 it is more likely they will die.

"This is the most cost effective way of dealing with this. Many people in 20mph zones have said how good it is, for health reasons as more people find it safer to walk and for the economy."

But Councillor Chris Schofield argued against the plans, and said a recent story in another town in the country highlighted more accidents had been caused through the zones, and it was a substantial cost to change the system back.

Councillors were split on the idea, with some raising concerns that it could lure drivers into a false sense of security.

Councillor John Price said: "It all comes down to due care and attention. Accidents will happen at any speed, whether that is 5mph, 20mph or 30mph."

Shropshire Council is against the plans, as were other councillors in Monday evening's meeting.

Councillor Peter Cherrington added: "We could use this money better by adding zebra crossings to slow drivers down.

"I don't see speeding in the town as a major problem."

Councillors agreed to note the findings of the report, after councillor Price added the only way to tackle speeding is by people simply using common sense.

He concluded: "We could say what about people in cars not wearing seat belts, and people driving on phones, they are problems.

"Signs would not make a difference, the only thing that would make a difference is common sense, but using the highway code and driving with due care and attention."

Call for blanket law in towns

Oswestry isn’t alone in debating the merits of a 20mph speed limit.

Rod King, the national founder of the 20s Plenty campaign, brought his message to Shropshire when he hosted a conference in Shrewsbury in October.

The campaign has branches in Shifnal, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Oswestry and Shrewsbury. It says a reduction in speed limits from 30mph to 20mph sharply increases the chances of a pedestrian or cyclist surviving an accident and also has environmental and public health benefits.

One campaigner, Peter Hassall, has even taken to his bike in Shifnal to hammer home the point. He and other campaigners want Shropshire Council to introduce a county-wide 20mph limit for town centres. They point to cities like Bristol, which has brought in a blanket limit within its boundaries.

Emma Bullard from the Green Party in Shrewsbury and a cycle expert, said she had seen for herself the benefits.

She said: “It has been brought in in Bristol and the transformation has been incredible. It is can work in Bristol it can work in Shropshire.”

Mr King said: “Bringing down the speed limit would encourage more pedestrians and cyclists to use our roads and pavements, allow children to play outside and help deal with our health issues. The money it would cost to bring in the limit is nothing compared to our spend on accidents.”

Critics warn that a 20mph will not improve safety – and could even increase the chance of accidents. They point to a review in Bath and North East Somerset that found fatalities and serious accidents actually rose.