Today the Herts County Council Highways Panel voted in favour of a new speed management strategy that will make it harder to introduce new 20mph speed limits. At the moment to introduce a 20mph limit without humps or similar traffic calming the existing speeds must be 25mph or below in at least 90% of the roads covered. The new strategy changes this to require existing speeds below 24mph in every road.

It also introduces a new policy of removing 20mph limits if speeds are too high after they have been installed for a year.

Although 20mph limits don’t make everyone drive at 20mph they so reduce traffic speeds and make more drivers think about their speed.

I proposed an amendment allowing 20mph limits in all suitable residential roads (the council has already done the work to define which roads are suitable) but Conservative councillors voted this down. It seems that they want to make it as difficult (and expensive) as possible to introduce 20mph limits that make our roads safer.