Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that all roads around schools have a maximum speed limit of 20 mph.

The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.

The research substantially strengthens the evidence base on perceptions, speeds and early outcomes associated with 20mph speed limits, and is the only major UK study to consider multiple case study areas and provide a national view.

The overall approach was based on evidence from twelve case study schemes, comprising a variety of area types, road types and scale. Ten of the twelve schemes studied were predominantly residential with schools (the other two being city centres).

The headline findings were:

• 20mph limits are supported by the majority of residents and drivers
• There has been a small reduction in median speed (less than 1mph).
• Vehicles travelling at higher speeds before the introduction of the 20mph limit have reduced their speed more than those already travelling at lower speeds.
• There is insufficient evidence to conclude that that there has been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.
• In one city centre case study there has been a significant reduction in collisions and casualties.

Work by AECOM for the Department for Transport in 2009 found that the presence of schools was by far the strongest driver in the decision to implement 20mph zones (with traffic calming) and 20mph signed-only limits.