Plans to cut speed limits from 30mph to 20mph across Cornwall move forward
But police are warning there must be a change in driver behaviour
Police have warned that plans to roll out 20mph zones in all towns and villages in Cornwall will have to be the result of a change in driver behaviour and not enforcement.
Cornwall Council is set to select some areas to be used as a pilot for a new scheme which could see speed limits cut from the default 30mph to the lower 20mph limit.
The project was a key manifesto pledge by the Conservatives ahead of the elections in May which saw them take control of County Hall.
However councillors heard today that while new signs will be erected to warn drivers that they are in a 20mph zone there is no extra capacity for policing the speed limit.
Superintendent Adrian Leisk told a meeting of the council’s economic growth and development overview and scrutiny committee that while road policing teams were being increased in Cornwall it would not be possible to enforce the lower limits in all areas.
He said: “Our note of caution would be around the behavioural changes that we all want to occur. Changing the number on a road sign without a comprehensive communication scheme will not work.”
Supt Leisk said that there could not be an “over reliance” on enforcement and said that unless people were made aware that the emphasis was on driver behaviour rather than enforcing limits there could be false expectations about the scheme.
He warned that he is responsible for the geographical areas of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset and said that while resources were being increased in Cornwall which would allow for specific areas to be targeted where necessary he said he could not put an officer “on every street corner” to monitor the 20mph limits.
Supt Leisk said that police supported the move to create 20mph zones and said it was hoped that it would lead to a behavioural change amongst drivers.
He said that it would be important to ensure that drivers know that they are entering a 20mph area and said that there should be clear signage at gateways to areas to tell people about the change.
This could use temporary signage so that costly works are not needed to install the signs required.
He said that there also needed to be works done so that drivers see a difference in 20mph zones so that they adapt their speed accordingly.
Supt Leisk also said that by reducing the speed in built up areas it could help to make roads safer and reduce the number of accidents.
There are already 20mph zones in some locations in Cornwall, the majority are on roads outside and leading to schools.
But the new scheme would look to reduce the default speed limit to 20mph in all residential areas which are currently in 30mph areas.
A pilot scheme will be carried out in some locations in Cornwall with a view to reviewing the results and introducing a Cornwall-wide approach in October 2022.
There were some concerns at the committee meeting that some areas of Cornwall were expecting to see the 20mph zones rolled out soon due to the prominence the idea was given by the council.
Edwina Hannaford said that “the cat is out of the bag already” and said that parish councils in her area had already drawn up a list of roads they would like included in the scheme.
The committee agreed unanimously that the pilot scheme should go ahead and that the Cabinet member for transport pursue a scheme where 20mph is a countywide default position and a report be brought back in a year’s time.