Currently there are discussions about imposing a 20 mile per hour limit on the center of London to make the roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The talks are in the early stages but it looks like this could happen in the future. More and more people are taking to their bikes to travel about in London which is adding pressure to make the centre of the city far more cyclist-friendly. The London Cycling Campaign is fully behind the initiative. It makes sense because the streets are very narrow and there has been a substantial increase in cyclist casualties since 2003. In 2010 there were 5,391 pedestrian casualties in Greater London, 58 fatal and 855 serious. The same year saw 4007 pedal cyclist reported casualties with 457 serious and 10 fatal. These stats are from traffic collisions reported to the police in that year. There are many more that would have gone unreported.
There is already a 20mph in place around the Tower Bridge which is a complete success and makes it much safer for cyclists. Cyclists want this to be extended to so all of the Square Mile is a 20mph zone. They believe this one single measure which could do the most to make cycling far safer and more attractive to those not yet cycling. As well as cyclists, pedestrians and the disable would also benefit so really it is a no-brainer!
20mph zones are becoming more and more common throughout some of the UK's top Cities. Oxford's city centre and Birmingham have changed the speed limit in its centre to 20mph and some of the busiest streets have an advisory 10mph limit. Central London is the only exception and now stands out like a sore thumb. This is just madness because London's main roads often have far heavier and quicker-moving traffic cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
The decision to change the speed limit in the center of London has been in consideration for a number of years. Reports have stated that a 20mph zone would smooth traffic flows and reduce journey times for cars and buses. So there are benefits all round, not just for the safety of the growing number of cyclists and pedestrians in London.
If you're fed up with the over stretched peak times on London's public transport system and are thinking of using a bike to get around London you might not realise but cyclists can legally cycle in London's Bus lanes. You will save a lot of money by travelling about this way although there is the initial outlay of cycle and accessories. But you don't even have to buy a bike as last year in July 6,000 bicycles became available for short-term rental at 400 docking stations in nine central London boroughs.
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