A 20 miles per hour speed limit was put in place on all streets in Kensington and Chelsea today.
Police will be able to enforce the measure where signage is present, although full implementation across the borough, including road markings, will be complete in January 2021.
Kensington and Chelsea is the last inner London borough to implement the speed limit, according to 20’s Plenty for Us, a non-profit organisation which has been campaigning for a mandatory 20mph limit since 2007.
Jeremy Leach, London campaign coordinator, said: “We are delighted that
Kensington and Chelsea has brought in a 20mph limit across the borough.
“This means that almost all of the three million people who live in the 13 Inner London boroughs now live on a 20mph road. This is a huge milestone.”
Leach added that reducing the speed on the roads will help drivers keep safe those who have taken up cycling and walking during the pandemic.
👏👏 @RBKC 👏👏 Another London borough going 20mph. Slow down. Save Lives. #VisionZero #TwentyIsPlenty 👍👍 @jthalassites https://t.co/ZOHfu27y4k
— Will Norman (@willnorman) November 12, 2020
The decision was implemented to safeguard the safety of cyclists.
Councillor Johnny Thalassites, lead member for transport, said: “More people are walking and cycling in the pandemic and this new limit is part of our plans to keep people safe.
“If a car hits a person at 30mph it is five times more likely to cause fatal injuries than it is at 20. 20mph is seven times faster than the average walking speed, about the same as Marcus Rashford running at full pelt and almost as fast as Usain Bolt in the 100m record.
“It’s fast enough on our roads.”
This is part of a larger effort to encourage cycling and walking instead of driving, with the introduction of temporary segregated cycle lanes on Kensington High Street.
According to The Royal for the Prevention of Accidents, in 2018 99 cyclists were killed in the UK, while 4,106 were seriously injured.
