N Yorkshire’s 20mph Policy to Come Under Scrutiny

N Yorkshire’s 20mph policy is to come under scrutiny at a council meeting next week.

The Harrogate & Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee meets on Wednesday. One of the items on the agenda is a discussion of the 20mph policy adopted in by North Yorkshire County Council(NYCC) in January 2022.

A report written in advance of the meeting says that an NYCC officer will be present to answer questions.

Cycle Infrastructure Design LTN 1/20

Cycle Infrastructure Design is clear about the criteria for cycling in mixed traffic:

• up to 2,500 vehicles per day and
• maximum speeds of 20mph

Therefore where there is no protected cycle infrastructure and cycling in mixed traffic is proposed, the speed limit should be 20mph.

NYCC’s 20mph Policy

The new 20mph policy adopted by NYCC in January is not a significant improvement on the old one.

It sets out a procedure that the council will apply in dealing with requests for 20mph limits and zones.

There is a long list of criteria (in para 5.13) that officers will check before supporting any application – or more likely, use as reasons to refuse the request. The criteria include:

• there is a record of speed-related personal injury collisions over the last 3 years
• there are pedestrian and cyclist movements and more will be encouraged by a 20mph limit
• there is a school or community amenity on the road
• a 7-day speed survey proves the existing average speeds are below 24mph
• police enforcement won’t be needed
• “vulnerable road user concerns outweigh the disadvantages of longer journey times for motorised traffic” – seriously, that’s what it says
• quality of life for residents likely to be improved
• “the scheme is unlikely to attract negative feedback” – I am genuinely quoting

Really, it’s an oven-ready list of reasons to refuse any and all requests.

Example 1

Request: people speed down my street – please make it 20mph. Answer: no, there’s no school on your street.

Example 2

Request: people speed past my child’s school – please make the street 20mph. Answer: no, no children have been run over yet.

Example 3

Request: people drive down this street way too fast – please make it 20mph. Answer: no, the average speed is 37mph, so we can’t reduce the speed limit.

Following the same logic, if there are a lot of murders, presumably murder will be made legal.

Example 4

Request: it’s dangerous outside my child’s school – please make it 20mph. Answer: no, someone might complain.

Results of the 20mph Policy

The report in advance of the council meeting says:

‘Since the new policy was adopted by the County Council, applications are now being assessed against the revised criteria. Work is ongoing in all area offices, but it is too early to determine how many applications will result in a 20mph speed limit.’

nycc report

I can guess. None.