Brighton and Hove 20mph speed limit extended

The area of Brighton and Hove covered by a 20mph speed limit has been extended.

The original city centre 20mph zone will now cover dozens of other roads including the whole of Bevendean, Moulsecoomb and Hollingdean.

All of Coldean will be covered except Coldean Lane where the 40mph speed limit is to drop to 30mph.

Most of West Hove – except for Church Road and Portland Road – and all of Portslade south of Old Shoreham Road will form part of the 20mph zone.

Roads between Fiveways and Preston Park and a swath of streets to the east of Dyke Road, much of Withdean and parts of Hollingbury and Patcham are also included.

The scheme also includes a cluster of streets close to Cardinal Newman Catholic School and neighbouring schools.

A map of the proposed zone can be seen by clicking here.

Councillor Ian Davey, the Greens’ lead member for transport, said that traffic speeds in the original – or phase 1 – city centre zone were down as a result of the 20mph speed limits. They came into force last April.

He said: “Traffic speeds are down in the phase 1 area, collisions are down and injuries are down.”

Councillor Pete West chairs the Brighton and Hove City Council Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee which approved the decision to bring in the lower speed limit.

He told a meeting of the committee at Hove Town Hall: “This is a great moment for the city and I’m very pleased for all those residents who have campaigned for this.”

Councillor Graham Cox, the Conservatives’ transport spokesman, congratulated all those who had campaigned for a 20mph speed limit.

He said: “I’m a long-time supporter of 20mph limits in residential roads.”

Fellow Tory Councillor Tony Janio said: “Generally we’re very supportive but there are arterial roads where we take a wider view.”

He said that he was concerned about rushing into phase 3 of the 20mph scheme without good data.

Phase 3 would extend the lower speed limit to Hangleton and North Portslade, Roedean, Ovingdean, Rottingdean, Woodingdean and Saltdean.

He said that the early data related to more of an inner city area while the third and final phase would cover more suburban areas.

Some objectors said that the scheme was a waste of money and that the funds would be better spent elsewhere.

A report to the committee said: “The funding for the 20mph programme is capital funding allocated via the Department for Transport Local Transport Plan and cannot be used for revenue expenses such as social services or refuge collection as was proposed by a number of objectors.”

Councillor Christopher Hawtree, a Green member of the committee, said: “Once people get used to it they’ll wonder why it wasn’t done years ago.”

Referring to the Brighton and Hove scheme’s opponents in the taxi trade, he added that New York mayor Bill De Blasio was proposing meters that paused the fare if cabbies broke the speed limit.