New Speed Limits Proposed for Manchester’s City Centre and Residential Roads
Manchester plans to introduce a 20mph speed limit in residential areas and city centre streets to enhance road safety
Manchester, UK, Speed Limit, Road Safety, Cycling, Pedestrians
According to the council, they also want to lower the speed limit on main roads to 30mph. This means that the Mancunian Way, which had its speed limit reduced temporarily last year, will now stay at 30mph for good.
They’re planning to cut the speed limit on eight roads that are currently at 40mph, including the A34 Kingsway and A663 Broadway. It’s all about keeping our streets safer.
Kevin Gillham, who’s in charge of citywide highways, mentioned that they’re not looking to slap a 20mph limit on every single road. Instead, they want to focus on residential areas that would really benefit from it.
He also pointed out that while they want main roads to be 30mph and residential roads to be 20mph, enforcing these limits can be tricky. So, while they might not see a huge drop in speeds, they hope to see an overall reduction.
Next steps for this plan are still being worked out, according to Tracey Rawlins, the executive councillor for transport. The council is taking this step after noticing a rise in serious accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists since the pandemic.
In 2019, there were 58 pedestrian accidents, and that number jumped to 77 in 2023. The number of cyclists involved in accidents more than doubled, going from 18 to 41. It’s clear that as more people walk and cycle, the risks increase.
Overall, the number of serious injuries and fatalities has also risen, from 122 six years ago to 183 this year. The council is also looking to upgrade speed cameras and expand areas where they monitor traffic offences to help improve safety.