Published: Thursday 12 November 2020
All Council-managed roads in Kensington and Chelsea will have a 20mph speed limit, starting from 13 November 2020.
The new measure is part of active travel plans to make walking and cycling safer during the coronavirus pandemic and follows a successful pilot scheme in the north of the borough.
Signage and road markings will begin to be unveiled at the border with Westminster and an experimental traffic order will be in place from 13 November. Police will be able to enforce against speeding where signage is in place. Full implementation across the borough, including road markings will be complete in January 2021.
Cllr 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 30 miles per hour it is five times more likely to cause fatal injuries than it is at 20.
“Twenty miles per hour 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.”
The Council is investing £320,000 to support Active Travel plans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, along with contributions from Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
Other measures have included:
- Traffic closures at the world-famous Portobello Road to aid social distancing on market days
- Closures to Pavilion Road, Bute Street and part of Elysan Street to traffic for shoppers and diners
- A temporary cycle lane on Kensington High Street
- Seven new School Streets to make walking and cycling to school safer for children
The Council does not expect to see an increase in congestion, journey times or emissions as a result of the new limit, which is already in place in other parts of central London including neighbouring Westminster.