Shropshire Council warned engineering needed for 20mph plan

The local authority is already carrying out the restrictions outside schools, with other traffic calming measures also being implemented.

However, some other councils have rolled out wider schemes, with 20mph speed limits in place in residential and built-up roads.

Councillor Rob Wilson, the portfolio holder for transport and regeneration at Shropshire Council, said that, in Oxfordshire, where a wider programme of 20mph limits has been rolled out, there has been an 18 per cent reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured.

“So, whilst there might not be the compliance that there is with a 30 [mph], it’s still lower speeds, and lower speeds mean less injury when there is an unfortunate collision,” said Councillor Wilson (Lib Dems, Copthorne).

However, at a Shrewsbury Town Council meeting, Tracey Onslow, assistant West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, said that the engineering has to be in place for it to work.

“I think the police will be in favour of lower speed limits, what they’re not in favour of is putting them in on roads without the engineering,” she said.

“That’s a problem, because if a road looks like it’s 30mph, that is what people will drive at. So, if you’re going to put it in, put the engineering in with it and then the police can do enforcement.

“What is not working so well is where we just slap up signs, and then when everybody’s not doing 20mph, you go to the police and say, ‘it’s your problem now, you go out and deal with it’.”

However, Councillor Wilson said that the evidence shows that, even in places where the engineering isn’t in place, the average speed has gone down.

“Although the compliance with the advertised limit is lower, so you might be at 28 in a 20 rather than 33 in a 30, that 5mph reduction is really valuable for our road safety,” said Councillor Wilson.

While Ms Onslow agreed, she said the issue is that residents will be expecting the speed to be 20mph, not 28.

“On average, it will bring it down probably five or 6mph below the 30mph which is brilliant – everybody’s happy with that,” said Ms Onslow.

“But what the police get is residents are saying, ‘this is 20mph, you’re not enforcing it’. And we go back to planning and say, ‘hang on, we did ask for them to put the engineering in’.

“If the data backs it up, then we’ll come back out and look at it again. But if the data doesn’t back it up, then there’s an issue.”

Councillor Wilson said: “I get the enforcement point, but if it is an outcome of road safety, that should trump everything else.”

Councillor Julian Dean (Greens, Porthill) added that the messaging needs to be better and that, from a policing point of view, 20mph is just as enforceable as 30mph.

He referenced a recent full Shropshire Council meeting where Councillor Viv Parry (Lib Dems, Ludlow South) said she has been told by police officers that they “don’t recognise” 20mph speed limits.

“I get your conversations with councils and the highways authority is always going to be about trying

to get the engineering, but nevertheless I think it’s about the message that goes out to the public should not be, ‘we don’t enforce 20mph’,” said Councillor Dean.

“I’m sure it isn’t, but somehow people are hearing that.”

At the Shropshire Council meeting, members were asked to approve the Local Transport Delivery Plan for 2026/27 to be submitted to the Department for Transport. It includes £1.5 million going towards introducing 20mph speed restrictions across the whole county.

Councillor Brendan Mallon (Reform UK, Tern) said, that while he very much supports the initiative around schools and very confided residential areas, a wider roll-out needs to be fully investigated from a scientific basis.

“I don’t want to be credentialising myself, but I do have a degree in aeronautical engineering,” said Councillor Mallon.

“I’ve studied automotive design, and particularly aeronautical design, fuel efficiency and power plant efficiency.

“At 20mph, you’re producing 180g of Co2 per kilometre, whereas at 30, it’s 157. An across the board, you’ll produce more emissions at 20 than at 30.

“So in terms of the other priorities of the council, that needs to be taken in consideration. And also, we have had a study just emerging from Scotland showing that this can actually increase, not decrease in injuries in their roll out of 20mph limits.

“I would just ask we have a full scientific analysis of such a measure to see if it actually does what it’s intended to do.”

Councillor Wilson said: “I’m sure as part of your engineering degree, you also learned about kinetic energy and that is half MV (mass and velocity) squared.

“So, for every additional mile an hour, that’s squared up and you get much more energy in a collision.

“So that is one of the key reasons that we need to look for slower speed limits.”