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Towns’ 15mph limit
Could urban speed limits be taking a tumble?
By Julie Sinclair
03rd April 2008
It seems 15 could be the new 20. Proposed eco-towns could ban cars from their centres and restrict speeds to 15mph on the outskirts – that’s 5mph slower than the lowest standard limit currently used in the UK.
The measure is part of Government moves for carbon-busting communities, as outlined in a recent Town and Country Planning Association paper.
Up to 15 locations, being named later this month, will be the first to get the green makeover, which includes a strict stance on road traffic.
To meet CO2 emissions targets, the eco-towns will aim to limit private car use to a maximum of 25 per cent of journeys. Walking, cycling and public transport get priority. Car ownership would ideally be limited to 50 per cent of the town’s population. And all vehicles should feature low-emissions technology, such as battery power.
To help authorities achieve car-free zones in the centre of the eco-towns, the report calls for easy access on foot to shops, schools and doctors’ surgeries. It says these should be a 10-minute walk away. The eco-towns would also be limited in size to between 5,000 and 10,000 homes.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has received 50 bids from councils or developers hoping their towns will be picked for the scheme. But ministers say only 15 will initially get the go-ahead.
Up to five new urban centres are expected to be constructed by 2016, and up to 10 more by 2020. However, there has already been opposition from residents in areas which have bid for eco-town status.
In Middle Quinton at Long Mars-ton, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, the new plans would see 6,000 properties being built on a former Ministry of Defence site. But locals argue that it would destroy an area of natural beauty, as the farm and marshland site is positioned on the edge of the Cotswolds, and is surrounded by picture postcard villages.
The measure is part of Government moves for carbon-busting communities, as outlined in a recent Town and Country Planning Association paper.
Up to 15 locations, being named later this month, will be the first to get the green makeover, which includes a strict stance on road traffic.
To meet CO2 emissions targets, the eco-towns will aim to limit private car use to a maximum of 25 per cent of journeys. Walking, cycling and public transport get priority. Car ownership would ideally be limited to 50 per cent of the town’s population. And all vehicles should feature low-emissions technology, such as battery power.
To help authorities achieve car-free zones in the centre of the eco-towns, the report calls for easy access on foot to shops, schools and doctors’ surgeries. It says these should be a 10-minute walk away. The eco-towns would also be limited in size to between 5,000 and 10,000 homes.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has received 50 bids from councils or developers hoping their towns will be picked for the scheme. But ministers say only 15 will initially get the go-ahead.
Up to five new urban centres are expected to be constructed by 2016, and up to 10 more by 2020. However, there has already been opposition from residents in areas which have bid for eco-town status.
In Middle Quinton at Long Mars-ton, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, the new plans would see 6,000 properties being built on a former Ministry of Defence site. But locals argue that it would destroy an area of natural beauty, as the farm and marshland site is positioned on the edge of the Cotswolds, and is surrounded by picture postcard villages.
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