20 MPH Reducing Injuries

What would make the biggest difference to reducing the ‘Killed and Seriously Injured’ (KSIs) on the roads in East Sussex ? The answer looks like 20mph. This has been shown to be true in Europe and the UK. So why is East Sussex failing to understand this and will the May 2025 County elections make a difference to the approach?

ESCC Current Policy

One of the ongoing issues within East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is their determination to stick to their current policy PS05/02 towards  20 mph zones and limits. There have been numerous motions, from opposition councillors, to change their approach but all have failed. This has also meant that in the latest list of planned improvements there are none around 20mph.

Elsewhere in UK

So what would a lower limit of 20 mph do? Remembering that most higher speed limits, such as 40, 50 and 70 mph would stay the same.

Similar reductions have been seen in parts of Scotland and councils such as Oxford.  It would appear that across the UK nothing has made as much of a difference to reducing KSI figures as 20mph .

One of the concerns is that drivers will not accept the 20mph. However research from DfT shows poor compliance at higher speeds. Plus having some vehicles been driven at 20mph may well affect the behaviour of others

 

 

Even if the number of incidents stayed the same the severity of injury is less, if the speed limit is reduced.

ESCC overall approach

So now it is  worth examining neighbours, where East Sussex is  worse than equivalent councils

Source West Sussex

So one view, might be that ESCC are trapped by their own bureaucracy, in reducing all their interventions to very small scale schemes. This does not have a major effect on the overall KSIs and keeps East Sussex at 150% (See above) of the  England KSI average per mile. Currently large sums are spent on consultation, Traffic regulation orders, match funding, sifting, rejecting, reviews and very little on delivery and construction. This is not the most cost-effective option.

The main arguments put forward by ESCC are:-

    • 20 mph limits only reduce speeds by 1 or 2 mph
    • There will be a greater burden of the Police
    • The ESCC targeted approach is better
    • To be effective, speed limits need to be set at a level which appears reasonable to a driver
    • They do not have sufficient funds to meet all the 20mph requests.

Item 4. Above should be re-worded to read, ‘where it is reasonable to a pedestrian’, who is after all the most vulnerable road user.

For more background  it is worth reading the full ESCC Scrutiny Review of 20mph You can follow their logic. But the key question is, ‘Has their existing policy made a difference?’  Yes, perhaps safety is increased in very small, selected areas but overall on a county wide basis the numbers are still poor when compared to other counties.

RoSPA

Now let us look at the evidence of how 20 mph limits and zones do make a significant difference. This is an excellent review by the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents and gives a good analysis of where they have been implemented.

20 mph limits have been shown to reduce traffic speed, although not as much as 20mph zones with traffic calming. However, they are considerably less expensive to implement, which means that wider areas can be covered. They also provide additional benefits, such as encouraging more physical activity, such as walking and cycling. They can also greatly improve the character of a residential area and quality of life of the residents. 20mph limits are most appropriate for roads where average speeds are already low… and use of the road also gives the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate.

RoSPA’s guide to 20 mph

Local Transport Plan

So is there hope for the future in the Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4)? Covering up to 2050. The answer is not encouraging, with ESCC sticking to the same mantras:
The delivery of lower speed limits including 20mph speed limits and zones in the County is done in accordance with East Sussex County Council adopted Policy PS05/02. This policy reflects national guidance and best practice for setting speed limits.”and “The LTP4 policies clearly highlighted that the adopted ESCC Policy PS05/02 is the determinant for setting lower speed limits in the county”

Other links

For further reading There is plenty of evidence and examples at

20splenty.org

Wales and default 20mph

Conclusion

• East Sussex has a much higher than average number of KSIs
• The current approach of small piecemeal interventions, of all  types of schemes,  is not making enough difference to overall road safety. Spending large amounts resisting and rejecting schemes rather than implementing.
• Higher speed limits do not make for good ‘placemaking’, a requirement of LTP4

It is hoped that the May 2025 Council elections will change the balance of power and result in a different direction.

Paul Humphreys – EEAN Transport Group

Reporting Potholes

Introduction

The number one current issue for politicians, councils and much of the public is potholes. They are an important issue for drivers but also pedestrians and cyclists. They damage vehicles, cause accidents, and lead to expensive repairs . We must work towards creating safer roads and one solution is for residents to contribute to an online database.

Bespoke and Eco Action Eastbourne are experimenting with ‘Stan the App’. It is easy to use and utilises ‘cutting-edge computer vision technology’ to identify road defects, such as potholes, with remarkable accuracy. Just by driving  you help to build a comprehensive database of road defects, enabling the prioritisation of repairs more effectively.

Damage

National Pothole Day revealed 21% of UK cyclists had accidents caused by potholes. This was evident when Bespoke Cycle Group, for their Kidical Mass ride, had to change the route to avoid the worst potholes in town. Many of the faults had been reported to https://live.eastsussexhighways.com/report  but there is no way of knowing when the issue will be resolved and sometimes unclear if someone else has already reported it. Or you could use https://www.fillthathole.org.uk where you can report a range of other issues on roads and cyclepaths. The system will then pass on your report to the relevant council.

With Stan, every pothole ‘reported’  adds to a more detailed picture. The system uses all the reports to show how big the problem is. It empowers residents to become highway surveyors and holds authorities accountable for road repairs.

In neighbouring West Sussex there was a focus on four towns. The worst of them was Worthing, where the comprehensive road map is still shown heavily in ‘red’.

The easiest way to get involved, is simply download the app to your phone and then record a video of your journey. The app will only upload when you use your wifi. A short time later the system , through AI, has worked out the road defects and added them to the UK map. There is an other option of taking photos and this may be more relevant for cyclists. The system knows where you are and once again you just upload when it is convenient.

There are other apps out there, but it will be more effective if everybody uses the same one and Stan is the RAC’s official pothole reporting partner. You can download the application from both App store and Google Play.

Future Action

In a few months time, the idea would be to write a report for councils and politicians to give them the information they need to get crucial repairs done. It may be that East Sussex Highways would then use it as a source of information

If you are interested in getting involved and want further information, videos and case histories go to http://www.stantheapp.com.

Notes

This article was submitted to Eastbourne Herald but here is some further content. If your internet connection is slow uploading content can take time. However with reasonable bandwidth unless you have recorded a long trip it should be okay. Generally video the routes you have not recorded before. Still experimenting if H.264 or H.265 is best for the video.

In photo mode try to include something that would give the pothole a scale . So perhaps a car wheel, kerb or road marking. Otherwise hard for the system to assess the pothole size.

West Sussex

Here is an example from Worthing of what is possible when residents are involved – Red is a serious problem and Green is okay.

Eastbourne

Here is the starting point with only a few people using the app. Note how around the Golf Course is poor and incomplete. However after a few days it  seems to have filled in the whole route so be patient.

Cycling notes

Trying to record video while cycling, even on an MTB with suspension, may have poorer results. It will not record if going too slow and may struggle with media content that shakes. The system also appears to reject many photos even where there are serious potholes. Overall the effectiveness of uploading data from driving seems higher

Paul Humphreys – EEAN Transport, Bespoke Cycle Group, Cycle East Sussex