Hundreds of campaigners call for first 20mph city

Hundreds of campaigners are calling for a 20mph speed limit to be implemented on every road in a city.

Many roads in Bath, Somerset, are already limited to 20mph as it was among the first cities to introduce the law. By the end of April 2027, all the roads on the north side of the River Avon will be reduced to 20mph.

However, the change will not apply to the remaining eight-and-a-half miles of 30mph roads on the south side of the river.

A spokesperson for Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) council said: "We are committed to putting in 20mph speed limits where they are requested by residents, recognising how much safer they make our streets for school children."

The council expanded the limit to various other roads in 2022 - including London Road, The Paragon and Cleveland Place - to improve safety, reduce air pollution, and to encourage more people to walk or cycle.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the campaign group Bath 20mph City has launched a petition to call for all of the city's roads to have reduced speed limits.

So far, 250 people have signed it.

Campaign spokesperson Guy Hodgson said: "30mph where people live, work and play is akin to indoor smoking.

"When it is no more, we will look back and wonder how we tolerated such a harmful situation for so long."

On Thursday, he told a BANES Council cabinet meeting that although driving at 20mph was still "six to seven times faster" than walking, implementing a reduced limit across the city would "give people more time to react, reduce the energy in collisions when they do occur" and result in "fewer people killed or injured".

He added that the move would cost the council an estimated £15,000, but argued it would be "excellent value for money".

Pete Dyson, a transport expert from the University of Bath, said: "We have already seen 20mph works well for people on places like London Road, which is now safer, less polluted and easier to cross.

"We need to roll out those benefits to all communities."

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