TODAY the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal that the new Labour leadership of Lancashire County Council has put a hold on the roll out of 20mph residential speed limits across residential areas the county started by the previous Tory administration.

With the backing of the Liberal Democrats, they are to review the evidence before proceeding with any new low speed zones with 35 out of 88 schemes in East Lancashire yet to be built.

Of these including four are in Pendle, seven in Burnley and ten in Rossendale. There are a further 11 in Hyndburn and three in Ribble Valley awaiting the final go-ahead.

The Lancashire Telegraph wants all these schemes completed as a priority as part of its ‘Slower Speed, Safer Children’ campaign to end the ‘carnage’ of seriously injured children on our streets.

This calls for a similar move for Blackburn with Darwen’s residential streets as the borough is now officially the WORST local authority in England for the number of under-16s killed or badly hurt on its roads.

Our aim is to persuade this council to finally commit itself to rolling out 20 mph speed limit zones across all residential areas and Lancashire county to complete its own programme as part of a wider crusade to change motorists’ behaviour in the warren of mainly Victorian terraced streets that make up our towns.

The latest government statistics from Public Health England show that since 2011 the national road traffic rate for nought to 15-years-olds using a rolling three year average has fallen from 27.1 per 100,000 population to 22.1.

In Blackburn with Darwen its has remained stubbornly at 47.8 per 100,000 for 2006/2008, 44.2 for 2008/2010, and in the figures published in March this year 47.9 for 2009/2011 - officially the highest figure in the country and more than twice the national average.

In Lancashire county council’s area, where a programme of 20 mph speed limits in residential areas is being rolled out as part of a major road safety campaign the figure has fallen from 55.7 per 100,000 population in 2006/2008 to 40.7 in March’s three year average.

The Blackburn with Darwen figure of 47.9 is far higher as a proportion of the 49.5 per 100,000 population overall statistic for killed and seriously injured of all ages in the borough than the Lancashire county figure of is of a total average of 58 victims per 100,000 or the national 22.1 of the all-age 42.2 per 100,000 statistic. The majority of children injured or killed are pedestrians or cyclists while older victims tend to be drivers or front-seat passengers.

In Burnley South west, one of three trial areas rolled out first covering large areas of Victorian terraces and the 1950/1960’s Stoops council estate, the results show that on the three years before the zone was introduced there were 33 injuries - 31 slight and two serious - and the 15 months afterwards had just five slight and no serious.

Leading transport expert and former government adviser Professor David Begg said: “If I was a councillor, I could not sleep easily at night with the current casualty figures for child deaths and injuries in road accidents.

“They must act to end this carnage. If this many young people a year were abducted from the streets every year there would be outrage.”

Coun Driver said: “The new Labour leadership of Lancashire must complete this programme.”

Rossendale Tory MP Jake Berry said: “I am totally in favour of this campaign which is about saving children’s lives.

“The statistics about the dangers of killing of seriously injuring children at 20 mph against 30 mph are absolutely clear.

“In the residential streets of Rossendale, driving above 20 mph is clearly dangerous.

“The it’s about children being safe in the borough’s streets and I believe that a 20 mph speed limit across all residential streets in East Lancashire is the best way to do that.

“It would help change the thinking and behaviour of drivers when they enter the narrow networks of residential roads in our two towns.”

Burnley Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “I am fully behind this Lancashire Telegraph campaign.

“The roll out in Burnley is close to completion and the results from the pilot area in the South-West of the town is clear.

“This is a success and the new administration of Lancashire County must review the results quickly and finish the programme. I fully support 20 mph limits in all East Lancashire’s residential areas.”

Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson said: “The new Labour administration must complete this roll out of 20 mph zones across East Lancashire which saves families which save families and children so much agony.

“It is clear from the preliminary results of this programme that it does reduce accidents and the number of children seriously injured as a result.

“I think it is disgraceful that the new county leaders can put this campaign on hold risk increasing the number of children injured in road accidents.”

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) head of road safety Kevin Clinton said: “RoSPA supports the wider introduction of 20mph zones.

“These zones are very effective at protecting people, especially children, pedestrians and cyclists, from being killed or injured.

“Lower speeds make crashes less likely and less severe when they do happen. Pedestrians are much less likely to be killed or seriously injured if hit by a vehicle at 20mph or less, than if hit at 30mph.”

AIMS OF THE CAMPAIGN

THE Lancashire Telegraph’s ‘Slower Speeds, Safer Children’ campaign aims to change the attitude to driving in East Lancashire by:

  • Ensuring that 20mph speed limits are rolled out in all residential streets in our boroughs;
  • Persuading Lancashire County Council to complete its introduction of the zones across the authority area including Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale;
  • Persuading Blackburn with Darwen council to take a strategic decision to introduce 20mph limit in all residential areas a programme to roll out the low speed zones within five years starting with a pilot this summer; and
  • Commit with Lancashire Police and local council to make speed awareness courses available to all motorists convicted of breaking 20mph limits.