The 20mph speed limit zones being rolled out across Britain are worse for road safety and the environment, famous traffic lawyer ‘Mr Loophole’ claimed today.
The legal expert, whose real name is Nick Freeman, has said the policy takes no account of the design and technology of modern cars – and advocated 40km/h limits instead.
He said most modern cars are now automatic, so even at the slightest drop they are likely to exceed the 20 mph limit because they are more prone to “free roll.”
Mr Freeman added that automatic cars mainly rely on brake pedals rather than manual graduated gear changes to slow down and maintain a slower speed.
He warned that drivers of modern automatic cars are therefore more likely to fixate on their speedometer and less likely to concentrate on the road around them.
It comes in light of an accelerated push from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to ensure that 220km of the capital’s road network will have a 20mph limit by 2024.
New limits across 17 miles of trunk roads in Camden, Islington, Hackney, Haringey and Tower Hamlets were launched in March amid what has been dubbed the ‘war of motorists’.
Construction of more 20mph zones will begin later this year in Greenwich, Lambeth, Ealing, Lewisham, Southwark, Wandsworth, Merton, Bromley and Kensington and Chelsea.
A map from Transport for London shows that 20 mph limits are planned or already exist in boroughs
And road safety charity Brake yesterday began a campaign to impose 20 mph limits on all roads near schools to reduce child deaths.
Campaign group 20’s Plenty For Us claims that 28 million people in the UK, representing more than one in three of the population, now live in local government areas that “accept 20 mph as the appropriate speed limit where people live, work or play” .
But Mr Freeman, whose clients included David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Jeremy Clarkson, told MailOnline: ‘Cars are getting more sophisticated.
“So I’m surprised there was absolutely no thought or consideration given to whether the design and technology of modern cars would be compatible with 20 mph zones.”
“Since automatic cars drive more freely, this means that even with the slightest drop, such vehicles are likely to break the speed limit when that limit is as low as 20 mph.
And unlike manual transmission cars, there’s no hands-on stepped shifting. Instead, drivers of automatic cars mainly rely on their brake pedals to reduce speed.
So while they’re constantly braking, they’re more likely to fixate on the speedometer and less likely to focus on what’s happening on the road around them. So ironically, 20mph zones actually pose a bigger threat to road safety.”
Mr Freeman, nicknamed for his ability to win celebrity court cases over legal technicalities, added that 20mph zones also pose a threat to the environment.
He said: ‘Constant braking increases particulate emissions from tire and brake wear, which has a huge impact on our carbon footprint.’
He has argued that areas that had a 30 mph limit and are now 20 mph should have been reduced to 25 mph at best.
Mr Freeman, who himself drives about 50,000 miles a year, added: ‘However, as 20mph zones are permanent, these restrictions should only be in place during peak times and in certain locations – such as during school drop-off and collection .’
Famous traffic lawyer Mr Loophole has criticized the rollout of 20mph speed limit zones
He spoke out one day after Brake launched its campaign to enforce a 20 mph speed limit on all roads near schools at all times.
Mr Freeman said: ‘It just doesn’t make sense to have a general 20mph limit – not least on empty roads, for example later in the evening or at less busy times of the day.
‘The problem is that legislation is not drafted by people who understand the roads or the law. Or if they do, one wonders if such legislators have a more fundamental agenda: to get cars off our roads?’
Mr Freeman has also previously claimed that lowering the limit to 20mph made the roads more dangerous as motorists are tempted to use their mobile phones while slowing down.
Today he cited a three-year study from Queen’s University Belfast, published last November, which found that limiting the limits to 20 mph in town and city centers could increase the number of road accidents, casualties or speed of vehicles. driver did not seem to diminish.
However, that followed a study from the University of Edinburgh published last October which found that limiting the city’s speed limits to 20 mph reduced road deaths by nearly a quarter and serious injuries by a third.
Mayor Sadiq Khan wants a 20mph speed limit on 220km of London roads by 2024
Mr Freeman added: ‘Speeding is a serious criminal matter which obviously needs to be monitored and regulated by the police to prevent devastating injuries and fatalities on our roads.
“But speeding is only one factor that affects road safety – it’s vital that drivers also focus on what’s going on around them.
“Thanks to the lack of focus on automatic cars, the 20 mph limit poses a danger to all road users – and costs the environment too.”
From 17 September, the Welsh Government will introduce a standard 20mph speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets, becoming one of the first countries in the world to introduce such legislation.
The Scottish Government has committed to making all suitable built-up roads 20mph by 2025.
Parts of England already have a 20mph limit and many councils have introduced such zones around schools.
But Brake said nearly two-thirds of parents reported that some roads near their children’s schools have higher limits, adding that reducing limits “saves lives.”
Figures from the Department for Transport show that 2,456 children under the age of 16 were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads last year.
Many councils in England have introduced 20 mph speed zones around schools (file image)
Rem campaign manager Lucy Straker said: ‘We are speaking to many schools where teachers are doing everything they can to make the roads near their school safe, but ultimately they need support from their council and decision makers. Why do we have to wait until a child has been killed before we act?’
“We know that excessive speed is a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes, and the physics are quite simple: the faster a vehicle travels, the harder it hits and the greater the impact.
“A crash at 30 mph has twice the kinetic energy of a crash at 20 mph. Reducing speed saves lives.
“We advocate for roads around every school with 20 mph speed limits — and other measures to effectively reduce traffic speed — so that children and their families can travel safely to and from school every day.”
Children from more than 700 schools and nurseries took part in Brake’s Kids Walk yesterday, walking in groups and calling for safe and healthy travel without fear of traffic.
Linda Taylor, transport spokeswoman for the Local Government Association, said: ‘It is up to each individual council to take action based on their own local needs, taking into account the views of the school, police and local residents. Speed limits are there for a reason and road users must adhere to them to protect children and parents.’
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: ‘Local authorities in England set speed limits on their roads, but we always encourage road designs that prioritize safety. There are no plans to introduce standard or national 20 mph speed limits in urban environments.”
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