Why have serious road incidents (plus one fatal) increased by more than three times along Southend’s Golden Mile since a 20mph speed limit was introduced in June 2011?
I refer to the fact that the Department of Transport accident data, based on information provided to them by our police force, regarding Southend’s Golden Mile, over 20 years shows (see www.crashmap.co.uk website details) that between 2003 and June 2011 there were a total of 38 incidents involving 34 slight injuries and 4 serious injuries, compared with July 2011 to 2023 there were a total of 42 incidents involving 28 slight injuries, 13 serious injuries and 1 fatal incident.
The above figures on road traffic incidents demonstrate that reducing 30mph speed limits to 20mph limits is not a panacea for reducing road accidents. In this case, it has proven to be the opposite!
In recent months, we had one Thorpe Ward pro-councillor comment that ‘People are being deluded that our roads are safe, the anti-20mph lobby flies in the face of reality and proven statistics, death and serious injuries are down by 28% in Wales following their 20mph introduction. Avoiding this reality would be leaving blood on our hands.’
Southend Data Tells Different Story
My response is: I agree that we are discussing human life and death issues, but we should not be relying on Welsh accident figures recorded over a twelve-month period, when we have verified Department of Transport accident figures of Southend’s roads over the past 20 years, which do not indicate that we have serious road accident problems in our city’s side roads, especially Thorpe Ward.
Police Presence Needed
Implementing 20 mph speed limits will not stop reckless/dangerous motorists. What is needed is the services of regular Essex traffic police officers with pop-up speed traps to act as a deterrent to speeding motorists.
I don’t believe with hindsight we can blame those councillors who agreed to reduce the speed limit along the Golden Mile from 30 mph to 20 mph in 2011, having blood on their hands. However, our Council should now be concentrating their efforts on addressing these serious road accidents and not prioritising our city’s side roads, which are comparatively safe.
Note the 22 roads in Thorpe Ward which are currently being considered for 20 mph speed limits, in 2022 when our Council previously tried to impose such a scheme (with road humps etc), there were no officially recorded road incidents involving human injuries, slight, serious or fatal.
by Dave Lee
Local Resident