20mph speed limit change will 'make people safer'

Cutting the speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 20mph in parts of Wakefield will "make people safer", the city's transport chief has said.
Areas round schools, town centres and built-up streets will be affected by the change.Areas round schools, town centres and built-up streets will be affected by the change.
Areas round schools, town centres and built-up streets will be affected by the change.

Coun Matthew Morley said that the measures would reassure pedestrians near schools, town centres and densely populated residential areas where the restrictions will be put in place.

Wakefield Council will now write to the police to ask them to enforce the limits when they are changed in individual areas.

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Similar action has been taken in Calderdale and Leeds in recent years, with a Wakefield paper on the policy citing evidence from Calderdale of a "significant reduction in casualties, strong public support, and positive police engagement".

The measures were formally approved at a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Presenting the report, portfolio holder for transport Coun Morley said: "This is something very close to my heart.

"There have been great strides made in road safety over the years.

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"Evidence from areas where the speed limit has been changed is that people feel safer when they're next to roads which are 20mph.

"Will this solve all our problems with speeding? No it won't.

"But it will have a positive impact on our communities, I believe."

"I feel we can move forward now and work with the police on enforcing this in the areas where this action is being taken."

The council says that the new 20mph zones will be clearly signposted and some areas will have traffic slowing features, such as speedbumps.