Government BLOCKS City of London's 15mph speed limit plan because car speedos aren't accurate enough when driving so slowly
- The City of London wanted a 15mph speed limit enforced within the Square Mile
- The Government blocked the plan as car speedometers are not accurate enough
- Officials are going to roll out 'advisory' road signs to urge drivers to slow down
A new 15mph speed limit for the City of London has been banned by the Department of Transport who claim it is not technically possible as car speedometers are not accurate enough.
The City of London Corporation announced plans in May 2019 to reduce speed limits within the Square Mile to protect pedestrians and cyclists from accidents as well as reduce pollution.
To support its bid to implement the 15mph speed limit the corporation commissioned researchers to assess the road safety benefits of the proposal. They found that the risk of someone being killed in a collision with a car traveling at 20-25mph was between 10 and 20 percent. This falls to between 2 to 5 percent when the speed drops between 10 and 15mph
The Department of Transport said it would be difficult to enforce the new lower limit and suggested not all cars had a speedometer that has each 5mph marked out on the scale
According to the Independent, despite being blocked by the government, the corporation is planning to install 'advisory' 15mph signs along the roads within its jurisdiction.
They will not, however, be allowed to use the traditional circle speed limit sign with black lettering on a white background surrounded by a red band.
Speaking at the time of the plan's announcement, AA president Edmund King said switching the limit from 20mph to 15mph is 'not likely to make much difference as traffic in the Square Mile has 'moved no faster than a horse and cart for 100 years anyway'.
He added: 'All road users and pedestrians being more alert, abiding by the rules of the road and putting away their phones would probably be more effective than reducing the limit