Council defends 20mph speed limit plans

A town centre is near the top of a county council's list for a 20mph roll-out because of collisions and the impact on cycling and walking, scheme backers say.

A 20mph speed limit is being proposed in and around Cheltenham town centre, aligning with the council's wider safer roads and community 20s programme for Swindon Village, Leckhampton, with Warden Hill, Prestbury, Charlton Kings and Up Hatherley.

The initial consultation has been blasted by Cheltenham Civic Society, which described it as a "disappointing and weakly-evidenced exercise".

Gloucestershire County Council road safety chief Roger Whyborn said the authority was considering all responses to the proposals carefully.

Cheltenham Civic Society said it supported improving road safety and reducing casualties.

But members said they believed the consultation failed to demonstrate why many collisions occurred, whether speed was a significant factor, and why imposing a town-wide 20mph speed limit represented the most effective solution.

Councillor Whyborn told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there was a mass of evidence to support the principle of a 20mph speed limit in areas where people lived and worked.

He said: "The civic society has... accused the county council of putting forward a blanket scheme.

"The decision to propose 20mph roads over Cheltenham, in common with the rest of the county, has been taken in respect of all the towns and parishes, where support has been indicated.

"Over 150 towns and parishes responded wanting 20mph schemes, including Cheltenham, and they didn't want just a few selected roads.

"Indeed, many parishes are complaining that they will not get schemes until after two years, but we cannot be everywhere at once.

"There has been a huge response which is being analysed.

"Council officers will consider it carefully, and I've no doubt there will be adjustments before it is proposed for a traffic order."

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