A NEW 20mph speed limit could be imposed on motorists throughout Hull city centre to protect pedestrians.
Hull City Council's highways department has been briefed to produce a report with a view to cutting the 30mph limit, mainly on roads where "pedestrians come into conflict with vehicles".
Under the plans, the zone would stretch south from Freetown Way to Castle Street, and east from Ferensway to the River Hull.
Councillor Martin Mancey, the portfolio holder for economic regeneration and highways, says swift action is needed to make the city centre safer.
He said: "I am pushing very strongly for this and I am optimistic this will happen.
"The nature of the city centre is such that there is a large pedestrian movement and lots of vehicle/pedestrian conflict.
"We also have people who are distracted by their mobile phones and iPods. They are just not aware of the vehicles around them."
Cllr Mancey said safety is the main concern.
"We are not seeking to persecute the responsible motorist, this is simply about protecting pedestrians," he said.
"The vast majority of law-abiding motorists obey 20mph zones elsewhere in the city, outside schools for example, and I would hope they would do the same in the city centre."
Officers have been asked to file a report, which is expected in the autumn, looking at the implications of imposing a 20mph limit in one of the most congested areas of the city.
"A lot of signage would be required to ensure motorists are aware of the new speed limit," said Cllr Mancey. "The Highways Agency, which is responsible for the area around Castle Street, would also need to be consulted.
"New traffic orders would also take some time, but it would be realistic to say this 20mph zone could be in place by this time next year."
Cllr Mancey said he would like Ferensway included in the 20mph zone, although he stressed there is no suggestion of incorporating Freetown Way and Castle Street into the zone.
Bus firms Stagecoach and EYMS already limit their buses to 20mph in Hull city centre, due to safety concerns.
EYMS are known to carry out covert checks following reports from the public that some buses speed in areas packed with shoppers.
"I am sure 99 per cent of bus drivers do abide by the 20mph limit agreed, voluntarily, by the two bus companies," said Cllr Mancey.
In a letter, published in the Mail yesterday, Peter Shipp, chairman and chief executive of EYMS, defended his drivers, insisting buses, due to their size, often appear to be travelling faster than they actually are.
He also referred to figures he had obtained that showed between January 2011 and November last year buses were involved in 13 accidents that left pedestrians injured, compared with 188 accidents involving cars.
Last summer, Bristol City Council voted in favour of a £2.3m scheme to introduce a 20mph speed limit in the centre, with a view to rolling it out across the whole of the local authority by 2015.
Cllr Mancey said: "What I envisage is that we will review the success of the city centre, with a view perhaps to extending it to other areas of Hull later."
10
