Fears Grow That Plymouth’s New 20mph Zone May Expand Further
Plymouth’s new 20mph zone could see an expansion, raising concerns among residents about traffic impacts and safety.
Plymouth, UK, 20mph Zone, Traffic Safety, Council
Plymouth: The city is buzzing with talk about the new 20mph speed limit. It seems the council is thinking about making it even bigger. They’ve got plans to add more streets to the zone, which has some folks worried.
The council’s documents show they want to turn over 20 streets in Stoke into a 20mph zone, complete with enforcement cameras. This is just the first phase of a bigger project, with plans to cover more areas soon.
They’re looking at a £450,000 safety scheme that should be up and running by April 1. If all goes well, they might expand it to include a lot more streets in Stonehouse, bringing the total to 98.
But not everyone is on board. Some residents are concerned that this could lead to more speeding on nearby roads. They think the zone should cover those areas too. The council has said they’ve stretched the budget as far as it can go for now.
They’ll be keeping an eye on how things go once the zone is in place. If it works out, there’s a chance they could add even more streets to the limit.
During a public consultation last summer, 166 people supported the project, while 163 were against it. Interestingly, 35 of those in favor wanted the zone to stretch even further.
However, the opposition party isn’t thrilled about the idea of expanding the 20mph zones. They’ve made it clear they’ll fight against any future growth of these limits if they get back in control of the council.
They argue that these schemes can be a hassle for everyday life and could spread to other areas if the current plan goes ahead. The Tory spokesperson said they’ll review any existing zones if they regain power, especially if there’s no solid evidence that they improve road safety.