Have your say on 20mph limits for Brighton and Hove

Roads in Brighton and Hove could be subject to 20mph limits – and today is the first chance members of the public will have a chance to have their say on the issue.

The scrutiny panel reviewing 20mph speed limits is holding the first of its public meetings this morning between 10am and 12noon at Hove Town Hall.

Brighton and Hove City Council has set up the cross-party Scrutiny Panel to undertake a review to investigate the effects of reducing the speed limit in some residential and built-up areas of the city to 20 mph.

The other public meetings will be held between 10am and 12noon on 26 January, 11 February and 23 February. Brighton and Hove residents, community groups and local organisations are encouraged to give evidence to the panel, and the meeting on the 23 February will be designed primarily for local people to come along and give their views on speed reductions in their local area.

Speed reduction initiatives could include either redesigning roads within the city to include traffic calming measures, or simply reducing the default speed limit on roads to 20 mph through the use of signs.

The panel will look at the evidence available on the effect of 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones on road safety, and the consequences of speed reductions on traffic movement and displacement. The panel will make recommendations on the future development of council policy on appropriate vehicle speeds in the city.

Councillor Pete West will chair the panel. He said: “The safety and well-being of local residents and visitors to the city is a high priority for the council. Ensuring that the speed limit on our city’s streets is appropriate will go a long way to increasing the safety of our roads.”

Other members of the panel are councillors Geoff Wells, Gill Mitchell, David Watkins and Jayne Bennett.

The panel will also seek to address the environmental consequences of 20 mph speed limits on the city’s air quality, carbon emissions as well as noise levels. It will investigate the other benefits that 20 mph speed limits may bring, such as increases in public health, stronger community relations and better walking and cycling conditions.

Anyone who would like to give evidence to the panel or attend a public meeting should email scrutiny@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call (01273) 290450 in the first instance.