Will people support it?

YES!

Every year from 2002-2012 the British Social Attitudes Survey has asked households across the country whether they support 20mph limits on residential roads. Every year 70-80% of people say yes. In the West Sussex travel survey, seven out of 10 people think speeding in built-up areas is a problem. It’s just that until now, no-one has known what to do about it. This is an idea whose time has come!
Latest British Social Attitude Survey for 20 mph limits 20 mph limits are more popular that putting speed humps in residential roads.

Isn’t 20 mph ridiculously slow for a car?

It’s true that 20 mph may feel very slow when you are inside a modern car (although it doesn’t feel slow if you’re on a bicycle!). However most drivers soon adapt to 20 mph on residential streets, and most car journeys across Worthing will primarily use roads which are planned to be excluded from the 20 mph scheme anyway.

For urban journeys the factor that affects car journey time most is the number of stops and starts. In fact 20 mph limits can help ease congestion as junctions flow better – it is easier to pull out into a slower moving stream of traffic.

In addition, most locations will be within half a mile of an arterial road with a higher speed limit. This means the additional journey time would only be about 30 seconds, a small price to pay in return for safer, cleaner, quieter streets for our children, older people and everyone.

Doesn’t it use more fuel to drive at 20mph?

NO!

Unsurprisingly the factor that affects your fuel consumption in built-up areas the most isn’t the number on the speed limit sign, it is the way you drive. Accelerating and then having to brake again wastes fuel.

The Department for Transport recently issued revised guidance about 20mph limits which states “driving more slowly at a steady pace will save fuel and carbon dioxide emissions, unless a quite unnecessarily low gear is used”.

What they forgot to mention is that making the roads safer for walking and cycling will encourage people to leave their car at home, meaning a 100% reduction in fuel consumption!!!