ITEM CMDT3
CABINET MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT– 17 JULY 2008
20 MPH SPEED LIMITS FOR OXFORD
Report by Head of Transport
Introduction
1. The purpose of this report is to present the results of an assessment of the practicality, costs and benefits of introducing 20mph limits in Oxford (although the area considered also includes the adjacent built up area of North Hinksey/Botley which lies within the Vale of the White Horse, in line with the area covered by the County Council’s controlled parking operation). This report also sets out proposals for the roads to be included within a 20mph limit, initially for informal consultation and identifies the outline costs of implementing the scheme.
2. 20mph limits can contribute to Local Transport Plan (LTP) and wider Council/community objectives including:
· improved road safety by reducing the number and severity of accidents and injuries;
· encouraging the use of walking and cycling (generally and for specific journeys, e.g. travel to school) with benefits including reduced congestion, lower carbon and other vehicle emissions and also wider health benefits such as tackling obesity;
· meeting Council Corporate Plan objectives, for example on providing stronger and safer communities.
3. Recognising these potential benefits, current (April 2005) Council policy on the use of 20mph speed limits and zones is supportive in principle and is consistent with the Department for Transport’s (DfT) current advice on the setting of local speed limits issued in 2006. The current Council criteria for 20mph limits and zones are reproduced at Annex 1 (download as .doc file).
4. It should be stressed that both County Council policy and Department for Transport (DfT) advice recognises that 20mph speed restrictions should be realistic and that they are unlikely to be appropriate where existing average speeds are above 24mph, unless supporting measures to help reduce speed are introduced. These can be physical measures, such as traffic calming, or others, for example supporting signing/information, publicity or education.
5. It should also be noted that, to some extent, provision of the signing and any other measures required to support 20mph limits would add to the level of street furniture and therefore to some extent goes against the ‘decluttering’ approach the Council has been following to meet its LTP Street Environment objectives. However, the effects of this could be minimised by, for example, locating repeater signs on existing lamp columns and by inclusion of parts of the classified road network, meaning entry signs for associated side roads would not be required.
Legal context
6. A speed limit order is required to introduce a 20mph speed limit or zone. There is an important practical distinction between the two:
· A 20mph limit requires the provision of entry signs and smaller “repeater” signs within the limit. · A 20mph zone requires the provision of zone entry signs and traffic calming measures at a maximum spacing of 100m – however, repeater signs are not required and some relaxations to regulations apply to the design of traffic calming measures.
7. 20mph limits and zones that comply with the legal provisions can be enforced by the police, but Council and DfT policy is that they should be self enforcing, recognising that there are limited police resources and current technical constraints (for example most existing speed camera systems are not approved for enforcing at 20mph).
Existing use of 20mph speed limits and zones in Oxfordshire and Elsewhere
8. In Oxford, 20mph zones are already in place or are about to be introduced at the following locations: · Oxford Central Area (note that this is not currently compliant with regulations due to the absence of traffic calming measures) · Walton Manor / Jericho area · Wytham Street area · Greater Leys area
9. The proposals in this report make provision for replacing the Walton Manor, Wytham Street and Greater Leys 20 mph zones with 20mph limits. In practical terms, the only differences on the ground would be a change in location of some of the entry/exit signs and the addition of repeater signs. The current central area 20mph zone would also be changed to become part of the area covered by a 20mph speed limit – see paragraph 16 (a) below.
10. In addition, a 20 mph limit is already in place on Cowley Road between Jeune Street and Divinity Road. 20mph limits have also been approved through Summertown shopping area (on Banbury Road and adjacent side streets, with work on this scheme currently underway) and along Headington Road (between Pullens Lane & Headley Way and Osler Road & Wharton Road), as part of the London Road corridor scheme.
11. Outside Oxford, 20 limits and zones have also been introduced in Abingdon (B4017 Wootton Road), Banbury (Bretch Hill area), Goring (High Street), Henley (Market Place), Wheatley (High Street), and Woodstock (Shipton and Hensington Roads) and in Wytham village.
12. Evidence from Oxfordshire 20mph limits/zones where supporting measures have been introduced shows that there have been some fairly significant reductions in accident levels – typically around 50%. However, where 20mph has been introduced without these (or fitted ‘retrospectively’ to streets/areas that already had calming features) reliable evidence on accident savings is not yet available but suggest that benefits would be much more modest with (for example) accident reductions not expected to be any greater than 10%.
13. 20mph limits and zones have also been introduced elsewhere in the Country and overall data suggests that significant levels of accident reduction could be achieved, although again it is the whole package including supporting measures which needs to be taken into account. Most recently, Portsmouth City has embarked upon a city-wide implementation of 20mph speed limits, although it is too early to report on the effects of this project.
Assessment Results and Principal Conclusions reached
14. The assessment has been applied to all roads within the built up area of Oxford / North Hinksey / Botley and has taken account of:
· Road classification and function (A, B, unnumbered and classified / unclassified) · traffic flows · traffic speed, including recent speed surveys undertaken for this project (where these have been undertaken, results are shown in the relevant annex to this report) · pedestrian and cycle use · type of development (residential, retail / commercial / schools etc) · accident records, which are reproduced in the relevant streets in the two annexes to this report.
15. Overall, it is proposed that the following should become 20mph limits:
(a) All unclassified, unnumbered residential roads within the City (b) The majority of unnumbered ‘distributor’ roads, with a small number of exceptions (see paragraph 16 (c) below) (c) Some sections of the A and B numbered road network, particularly within the central area.
16. An indicative plan of the City, highlighting the roads in categories (b) and (c) above where 20mph limits are proposed (as well as those that are in place or have already been agreed) will be on display at the meeting. These are:
(a) Central Oxford, where the area to be covered is proposed to be enlarged and treated as part of the 20mph limit scheme rather than a zone as at present. This would have the advantage of addressing the non-compliance of the current zone and would bring consistency with the remainder of the City. The area would include some sections of the radial route network on its approaches to the City centre - effectively, new ‘gateways’ to the city would be created, in particular to the east (where there are recognisable benefits in extending the current limit to cover Magdalen Bridge, the Plain and the approaches to it from the Headington and East Oxford areas).
(b) Sections of the B road network, in particular the B4495 (which effectively operates as an informal inner ring road from Woodstock Road in the north clockwise round to Abingdon Road in the south). These are:
- the approach to the London Road from Headley Way and Windmill Road; - the section of Hollow Way through the built-up area of Temple Cowley; - the western part of Between Towns Road adjacent to the Templars Square shopping centre.
The B4044 West Way adjacent to the Elms Parade Shopping centre which is also proposed to be included.
(c) Virtually all unnumbered distributor roads (which are listed in the table at Annex 2) (download as .doc file), with the exception of two heavily used bus routes into the City that effectively operate as main radial routes for this purpose (which will also be shown on the plan). These are:
- the section of Blackbird Leys Road (north west of Balfour Road) and Barns Road (except for the section immediately adjoining Between Towns Road), which together link Blackbird Leys to Temple Cowley;
- Old Abingdon Road and the section of Kennington Road to the north of the Oxford ring road.
17. The majority of the A and B numbered radial route network in the city would remain as 30mph, other than the sections already identified for 20mph limits, with the addition of:
(a) the sections of the Cowley Road between Magdalen Street & Divinity Road and Jeune Street & the Plain (extending the existing limit)
(b) the section of London Road between Headley Way and Osler Road, which would join the two sections referred to in paragraph 10 above
(c) the approaches to and roads within the Oxford central area as outlined in paragraph 16 (a).
18. The basis and justification for these proposals is as follows:
· Unclassified/unnumbered residential roads: with very few exceptions (based on speed surveys carried out on a sample of representative roads) existing average speeds are at or below 24mph. These roads would therefore meet the speed criteria for a 20mph limit without the need for further supporting measures. In most cases the number of accidents in these roads is nil or very low, so it is anticipated that the main benefits would result from general perceptions of improved safety (and potentially reductions in accident severity) that would follow if the reduced limit were successful in reducing peak traffic speeds.
· Unnumbered distributor roads: although these serve to distribute traffic (e.g.
within/between larger estates), most of these are predominantly residential in
character and it is therefore proposed to include the vast majority of these
within the 20mph limit scheme, albeit that there may be a need for additional
supporting measures to help achieve the target speeds at the locations
identified at Annex 2 (download as .doc file). · A, B and Classified roads: These roads form the main traffic arteries for pedestrian, cycle and general traffic and present the greatest challenge in striking the right balance between mobility and safety. Average speeds are often above 24mph (outside peak periods) and in many cases supporting measures would be required to comply with Council policy. However these are undoubtedly the roads where lower speeds could be expected to make the greatest contributions to improving safety and encouraging cycling and walking. In this assessment, the approach adopted was to assess each route on its individual characteristics. The conclusion reached is based on a targeted approach to reducing speed on key sections of the network, with a 30mph limit to be retained, except in locations such as busy shopping areas or other locations with especially high levels of pedestrian and/or cycle flows or where there is appreciable scope for reducing casualties. Annex 3 (download as .doc file) lists the sections of the A and B road network which are recommended to be included as 20mph limits.
19. In all cases, these proposals should be regarded as provisional, subject to further consultation outlined in paragraph 21 of this report, reflecting the uncertainty as to their practicality and acceptability (for example some roads are of exceptional environmental quality and providing acceptable signing or supporting measures may prove difficult) and the potential need to consider / seek views on supporting measures required to bring average speeds down. Enforcement
20. The Police’s overall policy on 20mph limits is that they should be self-enforcing and that therefore enforcement will not be carried unless there are exceptional problems and these proposals are designed to be self-enforcing as far as possible. However, subject to agreement with the Police and the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, some targeted enforcement would be planned focusing on particular roads where self-enforcement would be more difficult to achieve and/or average speeds are likely to be higher.
Consultation
21. Formal consultation has not yet been carried out in relation to this project, this would happen once firm proposals have been drawn up and advertised. Before this, informal consultation to get the views on the plans outlined in this report would take place with the public and a range of Stakeholders, including:
· The Police, Fire & Rescue and Ambulance services, which would not be bound by the lower limit when responding to emergency calls, but where it would not be desirable for any supporting measures to adversely impact their services; · Bus and taxi operators; · Oxford City Council and the Vale of White Horse District Council; · Other interested parties.
22. Following this, formal (statutory) consultation would allow members of the public and others to give their views on the detailed proposals. In general, our experience of previous public consultations on similar schemes has been positive. However, as the majority of roads affected would be minor ones (where no supporting measures would be provided) changes in speed are likely to be relatively modest, which could lead to requests for enforcement and/or supporting measures which realistically may not be deliverable.
23. Account will need to be taken of local views on the proposals. It is unlikely however that this would result in individual streets being excluded from the proposals, unless there were exceptional circumstances for doing so. It is more likely that streets would be grouped into more meaningful clusters and a decision reached on whether to include/exclude cluster(s) based on all the considerations that would apply for each.
Scheme Implementation, Delivery and Risk
24. A possible timescale for introducing the proposals contained within this report would see informal consultation take place this summer. Revised proposals would then be drawn up for formal consultation later in the year for reporting back to the Cabinet Member in early 2009. Depending on how these stages of the project progressed the scheme could be implemented on the ground in the spring of 2009. This timescale is based on a single speed limit order covering the whole of the City (plus Botley/North Hinksey) with roads not covered to be identified by exemption and all limits proposed to be introduced at the same time.
25. The principal risk to the project is considered to be the level of supporting measures required to make the proposed limits self-enforcing on the roads where they are likely to be required and any consequent impact on the acceptability and costs of delivering the scheme.
Financial and Staff Implications
26. A preliminary estimate of around £250,000 - £300,000 has been obtained for the supply and installation of the speed limit signs needed to create legally enforceable limits. This estimate is based on an indicative number of signs and poles, which may vary once the scheme is finally specified.
27. The cost of any supporting measures required is more difficult to estimate at this stage. In some cases conventional calming measures may be viable but in others a more innovative approach may be required. Further work is required to be able to reliably estimate costs based on the measures judged to be practical taking account of the characteristics of the roads in question.
28. This scheme is additional to the capital work programme originally agreed for the Transport Service in 2008/09. It is proposed to fund the scheme using a combination of income generated through bus gate camera enforcement, appropriate Section 106 contributions from development in Oxford (in both cases reinvesting money raised for the City back into improving its transport network) and, if required, capital allocations from the surplus generated by the Thames Valley Road Safety Partnership (which has been passed on to the Council) and/or LTP Casualty Reduction budgets. The exact breakdown of funding sources would be determined once the proposals and their costs (including those of any supporting measures required) have been finalised.
29. In addition to the implementation costs, some additional on-going revenue maintenance costs would arise from the need to maintain the signing and other measures. Again, this figure will be clearer once the proposals have been finalised but will need to be contained within the overall maintenance revenue programme.
30. These measures would be planned and delivered from within existing Council/Oxfordshire Highways staff resources.
RECOMMENDATION
31. The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to
(a) approve the proposals contained in this report for informal consultation and for any views expressed during this consultation to be taken into account in the preparation of final proposals, including the publication of the necessary, speed limit orders, for formal consultation; and
(b) undertake further work required to establish a funded proposal for reporting back to the Cabinet Member for Transport together with the results of the consultation.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background papers: Nil
Contact Officer: John Disley, Tel. (01865) 820577 or john.disley@oxfordshire.gov.uk
July 2008
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