News / Transport
Rival petitions grapple with 20mph limits
Bristol Cycling Campaign has come out in support of Bristol City Council’s 20mph zone roll-out following a backlash by thousands of the city’s drivers.
The speed restrictions have been introduced across the city over the last 18 months, and are now the focus of two rival petitions currently in circulation.
Back in March an e-petition appeared online, candidly named “Scrap the 20mph limit in Bristol and restore common sense.” Since then the petition has garnered more than 7,500 signatories, all opposing the speed limits as “ludicrous” and “a stupid waste of money.”
The disgruntled motorists even took a safety angle in their damnation of the programme, claiming: “roads will only be made more dangerous with frustrated drivers and people watching the speedometer rather than where they’re going.”
As a reaction to this, an opposing petition was set up in June in support of the restrictions, and has since gained more than 1,000 backers.
Bristol Cycling Campaign has thrown its weight behind the petition, with spokesperson Sam Saunders saying: “We fully support 20mph maximum speed limits in residential areas as part of Bristol’s modern transport plan and urge everyone who cycles and walks, or has children and grandchildren, to support the petition.”
Councillor Simon Cook, assistant mayor for transport, weighed in after the rival petitions began to attract more and more attention, saying: “There are tangible safety benefits of reducing speed to 20mph and research also shows that the real impact on journey times for drivers is remarkably small.”
For more information, go to the council website.
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