A proposal to grant communities in Lincolnshire greater authority to request 20mph zones has moved a step closer.
Lincolnshire County Council members unanimously agreed to advance a proposal aimed at simplifying the process for introducing new 20mph zones in residential and built-up areas, writes Local Democracy Reporter James Turner.
They also supported making existing zones outside schools mandatory. The decision was made during a full council meeting on Friday, December 13, and will now be reviewed by the council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee in the new year.
The motion was brought forward by Councillor Richard Cleaver (Independent), who is also a member of Stamford Community Speedwatch. In the run-up to the meeting, he said town and parish councils should be allowed to make requests for 20mph zones in areas they believe are appropriate.
At present, requests to lower a speed limit are usually made by a school, individual, or parish council via their local councillor. The change creates a more formal route, allowing communities to approach the council directly.
As part of his election campaign in 2021, Coun Cleaver pledged to push for 20mph zones to be allowed upon request from communities and a couple of months after he was elected an agreement was made by the council to review its speed limit policy. Since then, he says there has been no progress.
“This is about empowering our local communities,” he told fellow councillors during the meeting.
“This is not about imposing a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy on them, and it’s not about enforcing 20mph speed limits where communities don’t want them.”
Seconded by Councillor Stephen Bunney (Liberal Democrat), the motion also received support from leader Martin Hill (Conservative), who stated it was a subject that causes “high passions” on both sides of the bench.
“It’s important we come up with a sensible view,” he said.
When asked by Councillor Ashley Baxter (Independent) when the policy would be implemented, Coun Hill responded outlining that this would be a “refinement” of an existing policy.
