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From the pages of <strong>Newslink</strong> WHO wants to see 20mph as default speed for cities Road safety campaign group GEM Motoring Assist is calling for ‘smart new policies and initiatives’ to reduce vehicle speeds. Its call came during the bi-annual UN Global Road Safety Week, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This year’s programme focused on setting 20mph speed limits as the norm for cities worldwide. It aims to achieve this by garnering policy commitments at national and local levels and generating local support. WHO says 20mph speed limits create safe, healthy, green and liveable cities – and ahead of the event is calling on people to sign an open letter and add their voice to the “growing global movement” demanding 20mph streets. GEM Motoring Assist says it wants to see new initiatives to reduce vehicle speeds and make roads safer for the most vulnerable. It points to a recent study in Bristol, which showed that the introduction of 20mph limits was associated with a 63 per cent reduction in fatal injuries between 2008 and 2016. Neil Worth, chief executive of GEM Motoring Assist, said: “Lower speeds on roads that are at the heart of our communities can help save lives. “20mph speed limits where people and traffic mix make for streets that are healthy, green and liveable. That’s why the UN is calling them ‘streets for life’. “So we are joining safety organisations around the world to make policymakers aware of the benefits of lower speed. We want to persuade them to act for low speed streets worldwide, limiting speeds to 20 mph where people walk, live and play.” Tailgaters need fining, says survey Almost 90 per cent of motorists support plans to fine fellow drivers for tailgating on the motorway, a new poll by Motorpoint has found. The online survey revealed that 87 per cent of drivers back proposals that would see other drivers fined £100 for tailgating. The Government has recently been trialling new technology on parts of the M1 in Northamptonshire that detects whether drivers are maintaining a minimum of a twosecond gap between the vehicle in front. During the trail late last year some 26,000 people were caught out. Tailgating has been listed as the cause in almost 600 serious accidents last year, 28 of which resulted in someone being killed. Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of Motorpoint, said: “Tailgating has become commonplace in recent years and we are delighted to see the Government finally taking action to address something that can quite literally cost people their lives. “The issue of tailgating extends far beyond just motorways, and this step won’t solve the problem overnight, but at least it is a move in the right direction.” Law-breaking public will still back motorway average speed cameras The findings of an RAC survey shows there is “strong support” for the use of average speed cameras on motorways. At present, average speed cameras are used on a number of A-roads but on motorways are limited to sections of roadworks. The survey of more than 3,000 drivers, carried out for the RAC Report on Motoring, shows more than half (54%) would like to see them used more widely on motorways. Only a quarter (26%) disagreed with this idea, with 18% unsure. When asked what form of speed enforcement is best for ‘high speed roads’ (where the speed limit is 60 and 70mph), 58% of respondents favoured average speed cameras. Nearly a fifth (18%) felt fixed position cameras are most effective and 12% said it was mobile speed traps. More than half of respondents (56%) admitted to breaking the speed limit on motorways – with 34% of those confessing to having travelled in excess of 80mph. When asked why they did this, 39% of respondents said they were simply following the example set by other motorists, while 31% said it was because they thought it was safe to travel faster than 70mph. Simon Williams, RAC road safety spokesman, said: “Despite more than half of drivers admitting to regularly exceeding the 70mph speed limit, road safety statistics clearly show that motorways are our safest roads. “With so many motorists admitting to driving much faster than they should on the motorway, it was interesting to see such strong support for average speed cameras to be used more widely to enforce the 70mph limit as opposed to just in roadworks, as is currently the case. “We believe drivers see these cameras as being very effective at reducing speeds over longer distances and controlling traffic flow as well as being fairer than fixed position ones as they aren’t instantly punished for a momentary transgression.” 18 NEWSLINK SPECIAL n JUNE 2021
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com Public needs clarity and flexibility in EV charging A survey by the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) has highlighted what the public needs to convince them to switch to electric vehicles. There needs to be a widespread rollout of contactless card payments at charging points, being able to use one charge card (also known as an RFID card) or app across multiple charging network operators, and higher levels of reliability. The survey also highlighted the importance of the public charging network even to those with off-street parking, with 92 per cent of electric vehicle drivers relying on the public charging network at least once a month. Gill Nowell, a Director at EVA England said: “Based on the outputs of this survey, paving the road for the mass adoption of EVs looks like contactless card payments, roaming, consistent chargepoint reliability, simplified billing, and easy access to information about what chargers are where. “We recognise that the pace of chargepoint deployment is increasing and that the infrastructure going in the ground today is greatly improved from that which was being installed even five years ago. “However, we encourage the government to intervene now in order to ensure that all charging infrastructure is reliable, safe and user-friendly.” Based on the results of the survey, EVA England has recommended that chargepoints should offer a choice between a contactless credit or debit card, a ‘universal’ charge (RFID) card and a smartphone app, that drivers can use one app or RFID card on all networks, and all prices for electricity sold at EV charging sites should be stated in pence/kWh. ULEVs top half a million There are now more than half-amillion ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs on UK roads. The Government has pledged to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – and to ensure all new cars and vans will be zero emission by 2035. To achieve this, it has pledged a £2.8 billion package of measures to support industry and drivers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. While still some way from achieving its goal, the Government says the stats show the UK is ‘accelerating further towards a greener transport future’. Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said: “The UK now has the second largest EV market in Europe, it’s clear that the shift to green motoring is accelerating at speed.” The SMMT says that plug-in vehicles accounted for more than one in seven registrations (13.6%) so far this year. NEWSLINK SPECIAL n JUNE 2021 19
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