Tonbridge and Malling Constituency Labour Party have agreed that the 20mph speed limits in Tonbridge should be retained in their entirety. Individuals and groups are entitled to make submissions and you can do so here.
Tonbridge and Malling Labour Party – support for the full retention of the town-wide 20mph speed restriction in Tonbridge Town.
Tonbridge and Malling Constituency Labour Party support the full retention of the 20mph speed restriction on all arterial and minor roads in the area of the scheme. Our one proviso is that limits on through routes need to be enforced more effectively and we accordingly would support the installation of speed cameras where there is evidence of speeding. We would however request that the scheme be extended slightly so that the section of Lower Haysden Lane between Brook Street and Haysden Country Park, although not within the urban area, be added to the scheme to allow it to become a safer cycling and walking route.
A review of the evidence by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) [1] concludes that the introduction of 20mph zones in British towns and cities (and their equivalent elsewhere in Europe) has very significantly reduced deaths and serious injuries. Although it acknowledges that the previously used figure, that being struck by a vehicle at 20mph would lead to death 2.5% of the time whereas a collision at 30mph would be fatal on 20% of occasions may not be robust, it is indisputable that there is a very significant difference at these two speeds (this is a matter of fairly basic physics).
We strongly oppose any proposal to revert some arterial routes to 30mph for the following reasons:
The 2020 ROSPA report noted that there were 121 deaths on B roads in built-up areas and 280 on more minor roads in 2019. This would suggest that the more important the road the higher the level of casualties. Having a higher speed limit on the roads which appear to be more dangerous would be wholly counter-productive.
Although hard to quantify, it is generally believed that living next to a major road reduces the value of property (and therefore rent). Allowing higher speed limits in such areas would potentially place lower income households at disproportionate risk. It is also acknowledged that lower income households are less likely to have access to a car and are therefore placed in a position of having to travel at least part of the way to work, shop or education by foot or bicycle.[2]
There are specific features of several of the arterial roads in Tonbridge which make them more dangerous. These include the sharp corner at the start of London Road when travelling towards Hildenborough, the lack of a pavement on the left-hand side of Shipbourne Road before its junction with Manor Grove and the similar lack of a pavement on the south side of Bordyke near to the Parish Church. These features mean that pedestrians are forced to either cross or walk in the road. A higher speed limit would increase the risk to them.
Most of the town’s care homes are on or near key arterial routes, including Quarry Hill, London Road and Shipbourne Road. Older residents are at greater risk of serious injury of death in the event of a road traffic accident.
There is also a risk to school and college students. Judd, Hayesbrook and Tonbridge Schools, together with West Kent College, are all on arterial routes. School children travelling to or from school also often use parts of the High Street.
Tonbridge and Malling Labour Party believe that the safety of pedestrians and cyclists should be put ahead of any perceived minor inconvenience to road users. We further consider that making the town a more pleasant place to walk in fits well with our party’s commitment to building a sustainable society as set out in our Green New Deal, something which must in part see a modal shift away from personal motor vehicle use towards a comprehensive transport network based on a mixture of active travel and public transport.
[1] 20mph Zones and Speed Limits Factsheet – January 2020 (rospa.com)
[2] Future of mobility: inequalities in mobility and access in the UK Transport System (publishing.service.gov.uk)
