Forum topic: Should Twenty be Plenty on Enfield's roads?

Campaigning group Better Streets for Enfield are holding a public online meeting at 8pm on Tuesday 19th November under the title “Is Twenty Plenty in Enfield?” to discuss the case for a 20mph limit on most Enfield roads.

Across large areas of London thirty mile an hour speed limits have over the last few years been giving way to a lower maximum - twenty miles an hour. In fact, in inner London, and increasingly further out, 20mph is now the norm. But, so far, not in our borough, Enfield, where just a quarter (28%) of the roads that the borough manages have a 20mph speed limit

Why is this, and should Enfield follow the example of other boroughs? If this is something that interests you, you can join an online discussion - Is Twenty Plenty in Enfield? - that will take place via Zoom at 8pm on Tuesday 19th November. It's organised by Better Streets for Enfield, a local group that was set up around a decade ago and has recently become part of the national campaign Living Streets, which traces its history back almost a century - its first campaigning success was the introduction of zebra crossings!

So what's stopping Enfield following the trend? After all, the evidence is piling up that these lower speeds have resulted in fewer crashes and fewer casualties, while those that still occur are less serious. And reduced road danger isn't the only benefit: there's less noise from engines and tyres; walking, wheeling and cycling become much pleasanter; and the air is cleaner because engines emit less pollution and tyres and brakes don't produce as many lung-penetrating fine particles as they do when people drive faster.

"Over the past decade Enfield Council have introduced several schemes that have improved life for people walking or riding bikes, and we're very pleased by this," says Alex Atherton from Better Streets for Enfield. "But the impact has been limited as on the vast majority of streets in the borough pedestrians are still exposed to noise, danger and stress.

"By the simple step of making 20mph the default speed limit, Enfield Council could at a stroke improve the lives of tens of thousands of people across the entire borough. Their children's journeys to school will be safer and healthier. They'll find it easier and more pleasant to stop and chat to friends and neighbours, crossing the road will be safer and less stressful."

Better Streets for Enfield recently affiliated with Living Streets, the long established UK charity for everyday walking

To bring some expert knowledge to the discussion, Better Streets have invited guest speaker Jeremy Leach to introduce the subject and answer questions. Jeremy is a leading member of the national campaign 20’s Plenty for Us.

So will I be welcome to join the meeting if I'm sceptical about lower speed limits? And do I have to agree with everything that Better Streets campaigns for, like bike lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods?

"No," says Alex. "This meeting is for anyone who's curious about whether or not 20mph limits would be a good thing and has an open mind. You don't have to buy into all our campaigning aims. And we're not so unrealistic as to be campaigning for 20mph on the North Circular or in less urban parts of Enfield. But if you're dead set against lower speed limits, the meeting's probably not for you."

Register to join the meeting