Shepherd's Bush Likely To Become a 20mph Zone on Most Roads

30mph no more?

LBH&F began a consultation in June with local residents on plans for a 20mph speed limit throughout our borough.  The results are now in, and the answer, according to the Council, is a resounding yes, with a "staggering" 71% voting for a reduced speed limit on "most roads".

Our council originally proposed the lower borough-wide speed limit to "reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads, while improving the health of local communities and reducing delays".

Not everyone however is happy. A quick glance at the comments section of the story suggests that this is a very controversial move, with many residents strongly opposed. And the numbers are, frankly, a bit confusing.

Whether or not you regard this as a yes or no vote depends on how you count the results.  Take a look at the infographic to the right and you will see that a big minority - 45% - voted for a 20mph speed limit across the Borough on all roads.

However, throw in the 26% who voted yes, "but only on some roads", and you get to the Council's "staggering majority".

Bear in mind also that only 5,287 people bothered to vote at all - around 2.5% of the local population.

Our guess is that the numbers do make sense if you consider that most people would probably like to see speed reductions on minor streets - especially the street where they happen to live. After all, 30mph can be pretty quick on a residential street where there may be children playing. But a 20mph limit on a major artery like Uxbridge road would surely be silly - and hard to enforce.

If you would like to know more, you can attend the Council's meeting to discuss the results of the Consultation on 18 November.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, 18 November at 7pm at Hammersmith Town Hall, King St. The meeting is the Policy and Accountability Committee for Community Safety, Environment and Residents Services chaired by Cllr Larry Culhane.

It promises to be lively!

---Alex