News on 20mph Faversham

With 20mph leaflets dropping through Faversham doors this week, we’re getting lots of comments on social media. Lots of positive ones, but some concerns raised.

This week's news post responds to some of those concerns and highlights a webinar next Thursday at 5:30, where you can ask questions of the scheme designer, Phil Jones; the KCC project manager, Jamie Watson; and Amanda Russell, the founder of 20's Plenty for Faversham. Please register your interest at https://www.facebook.com/events/937987673366355 .

What are people asking?

1) How will the new speed limit will be enforced?

Most people comply within a few mph of a speed limit, but once the scheme has been in place for a while, we will investigate whether additional traffic calming measures are needed. Please have your say here to tell us where you experience issues. Over time, new blackbox technology in cars will ensure that all speed limits are adhered to. Until then, the police will enforce where they see a particular compliance issues.

2) Who is paying for the scheme?

While the scheme has received continued support from the Faversham community over a long period, an opportunity has arisen to obtain funding from the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund. This means that Faversham residents are not paying for the scheme out of local taxes.

3) How much support is there for the scheme?

Broad support from the community in Faversham has existed over many years. KCC and the Town Council are now engaging with local people to confirm that support . Across the country, 20mph is consistently supported by 2 out of 3 people . KCC recently conducted their own survey and found a similar number (65%) in Swale and across Kent were supportive.

4) Why implement the scheme now before consulting?

There are two reasons. The first is that the government funding referred to above required it to be implemented quickly. The second reason is that getting feedback on a scheme in reality is usually better than speculating on what might / might not happen.

5) Are there more signs going in? (and why are some road markings a horrible garish yellow?)

With any scheme like this, it takes time to install everything. The gateway signs to the new zone are now in, with repeater signs to follow. Everything will be complete by 18th September. Feedback on the yellow colour as ranged from 'it stands out too much' to 'you can't see it'. However, we know it's unpopular and are seeing what can be done.

6) Do people slow down when speed limits are reduced?

The clear answer is yes – on slower roads the reductions are small but are greater on faster roads. The most authoritative source is the BRITE report from the University of West of England about Bristol, which implemented 20mph city-wide.

7) Will emergency response times increase?

The evidence is that overall response times do NOT increase. Emergency services such as the Ambulance service supports 20mph because of its positive impact on road casualties, which help lighten the load on emergency services. A report just issued by Transport for London shows that emergency response times are unchanged in 2019 compared with 2005, before any 20mph zones existed in London. The average first appliance response time is 5m and 13 seconds in both cases.

8) Does driving at lower speeds cause more pollution?

No. It’s accelerating and braking which cause most pollution, particularly in towns. Driving at a steady 20mph, rather than speeding up to 30mph and then slowing down reduces NOx and particulate matter (including brake and tyre dust) pollution, with little change for CO2. A full report written by Imperial College London is here

For further information on all data on 20mph, the best place is a report written by Phil Jones (who designed the Faversham scheme and is on our webinar panel on Thursday 3rd September ) for the Welsh Government https://pja.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Phil-Jones-Welsh-20mph-Task-Force-Group-Report_2020.pdf