The City of London is planning to introduce a blanket 15mph speed limit to 'save lives', according to a planning document due to be discussed in a transport committee next month.

Bruce McVean, acting assistant director of transportation at the City of London Corporation, said: “A request for in principle support for a 15mph speed limit will shortly be submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport.

“If this is agreed, we will begin work on an experimental traffic order (ETO) to introduce a City-wide 15mph limit, with the aim of having this in place before the end of 2022.”

“Through the Transport Strategy we have committed to eliminate death and serious injuries on the City’s streets by 2040."

As well as introducing a 15mph speed limit the City of London also aims to widen sidewalks in a “Pedestrian Priority Programme” that will “give more priority to people walking.”

There will also be an expanded cycle network with links from Aldgate to the protected cycleway on the Thames Embankment, Forbes report. (link is external)

The City of London previously planned to introduce a 15mph speed limit in 2019. At the time, AA president Edmund King said it would not make much difference because motor traffic in the Square Mile has “moved no faster than a horse and cart for 100 years anyway.”

Indeed, as the author of the latest article, Carlton Reid, pointed out, 15mph is actually about double the speed most vehicles travel at in London.

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-28-september-2020-286689#live-blog-item-28117