Research has shown that the vast majority of the public - over 80% in polls - would like 20 mph on residential roads. And children’s deaths and injuries could be reduced by 67 per cent if 20 mph were the speed limit on residential roads (source: Health Development Agency).

At 20 mph, drivers make eye contact with and engage with the people in the street they are passing through. This contact really matters: people in the street know they’ve been seen. It also makes drivers less inclined to bully their way along ‘their’ road, and more inclined to share the space. At speeds over 30 mph, drivers begin to become disassociated from the area they are passing through – treating it principally as a traffic thoroughfare for getting quickly from A to B.

Our 30mph residential limit is 60% higher in Northern European towns. Consequently, we have a higher proportion of pedestrian deaths on the roads than any of our North European neighbours.

Five towns in the UK have now decided on a default 20mph limit. Portsmouth Council recently created 1200 streets with 20 mph limits, in just nine months, without any speed bumps, at a cost of £475,000 - the cost of about two sets of traffic lights. Average speeds there have already reduced, and the whole community has a collective commitment to sharing the roads better.

SusWot is delighted that Bristol council will soon be running two 20mph pilot schemes in the city, but feel the whole of Bristol’s residential areas are actually ready for 20mph now.

If you’d also like to see 20mph limits in Westbury now, there are 3 things you can do:

1. Add your name to the "20's Plenty for Bristol” petition at:

http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/20splenty

or sign up at the farmer’s market.

2. Ask your neighbours to sign too. You can download extra petitions from our web site.

3. Ask your councillor to support the campaign. Once enough councillors support this, a motion will be put before the Council.