By Martin Banks - 27th September 2011
Every location is different and these decisions need to be made case by case
Jacqueline Foster
UK Conservative MEPs have condemned moves by the EU to create a blanket speed limit below 20mph across all residential areas.
One MEP condemned it as "another example of Europe trying to dictate to Britain".
The plan for blanket 30 kph limit was debated at the opening of parliament's Strasbourg plenary on Monday.
It is likely to also lead to the introduction of "dead-slow" restrictions for most town and city roads – unless they have a separate cycle lane.
The scheme is contained in a package of measures which the parliament's transport committee has proclaimed will halve road casualties by 2020.
Other proposals include standardised road signs across the continent and the replacement of the British highway code with one covering the whole of Europe.
A resolution by the committee said it "strongly recommends the responsible authorities to introduce speed limits of 30 kph in residential areas and on all one-lane roads in urban areas which have no separate cycle lane, with a view to protecting vulnerable road users more effectively."
But UK Conservative critics say the plan is a piece of "EU meddling" and raises the "plain silly prospect of road signs saying: Speed limit - 18.64mph."
Transport spokesman Jacqueline Foster said the proposal was "another example of Europe trying to dictate to Britain on issues that should be decided locally".
Foster said: "Of course speed limits as low as 20mph or so can be right in some very specific areas, especially near schools or nurseries, but every location is different and these decisions need to be made case by case. Not by a Europe-wide edict."
The parliament resolution is part of a wide range of measures to halve Europe's 31,000 annual road fatalities by 2020.
Further comment came from the European cyclists' federation's Fabian Kuster, who said, "Parents don't want to be petrified by their kids walking or cycling on the sidewalk.
"In the past century, increased road traffic has decimated walking and cycling. The number of kids that walk or cycle to school has decreased from 82 percent to 14 per cent within the last 30 years."
Küster adds: "This move by the EU, it's all about personal liberty. It's about politicians creating cities for living in rather than thoroughfares for vehicles. And it's about reclaiming streets and neighbourhoods for people and cyclists."
Injuries fall by 25 per cent when 50 kmh zones are redesigned for 30 kmh according to the Dutch institute for road safety research.
An EU-wide survey conducted in 2010 showed overwhelming support for 30 kmh zones with 78 per cent of EU drivers citing excessive speed as a major safety concern.
The institute of advanced motorists from the UK released a poll last month in which two thirds of its members supported the adoption of 20mph (32.19kmh) speed limits.
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