City of Wolverhampton Council is to consult with the public on a proposal to make the current temporary 30mph speed limit on the city’s Ring Road permanent. The council believes that the change will keep people safer by reducing accidents and improve the environment by reducing harmful emissions and encouraging more people to walk and cycle.
The 30mph speed limit along the entire length of the Ring Road was implemented in June 2020 on a trial basis when councils were encouraged by the Government to implement transport schemes which promoted social distancing.
During the trial period, council officials recorded that vehicle speeds reduced and West Midlands Police recorded fewer accidents that caused people to be injured.
Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city environment and climate change, said: “We’ve had a trial in place since June 2020 with the reduced speed limit and what we’ve seen is fewer personal injury accidents which is extremely encouraging in terms of keeping people safer.
“In addition, there are clear environmental benefits to be had from slower traffic and smoother driving with less acceleration and braking leading to fewer dangerous emissions. We all want to do more to protect our planet and improve air quality for our residents.
“The third key benefit is that reduced speed makes people more likely to use the various cycle routes around the city, many of which cross over the Ring Road. We are currently in the process of creating new cycle routes along Ring Road St Peters and the (A4124) Wednesfield Road which is just off the Ring Road.
“It’s human nature that you will be a lot more inclined to get on your bike or on foot and travel across the Ring Road if cars are not hurtling towards you or slamming on their brakes when the lights change. We do want to see more people use the network of cycle lanes we are creating, with more planned in the future.
“The trial has given us the opportunity to really look at this, review how successful it has been and now put forward this proposal. However, we won’t be making any final decisions until we have consulted and heard what the public think, so please do tell us.
“When we first made this change, I saw comments from people saying we wanted to ban cars and motorists. We know how important cars and other vehicles are for people to get around in, we don’t want to make life harder for motorists – what we want to do is cater for all road users – motorists, cyclists, walkers, those on public transport – in a safe environment.”
Regardless of whether the speed limit change is made permanent, the council will be installing intelligent variable message signs which will warn drivers if they are exceeding the speed limit, encouraging them to slow down. The consultation will run until November 12.
