A SPEED limit of 20 mph has been introduced in Caledonian ward, as part of a move to have a blanket 20 mph zone for all residential roads in Islington.
The zone will come in to force in a matter of weeks, despite opposition from Transport for London (TfL) and borough traffic officials.
Officials did not want Wharfdale Road, which forms part of the one-way system around the north side of Kings Cross, included in the scheme, but Islington councillors disagreed.
Paul Convery, Labour councillor for Caledonian ward, said: “TfL objected violently but we faced them down. The roads aren’t there just to get people moving faster, and there is good research to show that crashes at 30 mph have a much higher fatality rate.
“As the father of two small children I would say to those who disagree with slower speed limits that life is about balancing risks. If there is more pollution in the atmosphere because of cars driving in a lower gear, or there are less accidents on the roads because of the speed limit, then you have to balance that risk.”
A report published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in December said that 20 mph zones reduced casualties by over 40 per cent in London between 1986 and 2006, with the greatest reduction in child casualties.
Chris Grundy, the report’s lead author, said: “20 mph zones appear to reduce casualty numbers, especially serious injury and death.
“Within London, there is a case for extending the currently limited provision of such zones to other roads with high numbers of casualties.”
A spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign said: “There are strong arguments for the Government to introduce 20mph speed limits in residential areas across the whole country.
“The reduction in loss of life and injury has been shown to be high, and that’s before adding the improved health benefits from encouraging more cycling and walking.”
But the motoring association the AA has argued that 20 mph zones can increase carbon emissions by 10 per cent
The organisation warned local authorities in its Fuel for Thought campaign that “well-intentioned safety schemes may backfire in environmental terms,” although it accepted that “speed limits in residential areas are popular and improve safety”.
The west Islington scheme, which will make every single road in the area a 20 mph zone except for Caledonian Road and York Way, will come in to force in a matter of weeks.
