Wirral Council says the average speed of vehicles has reduced since the introduction of new 20mph limits in West Kirby, and there has been an overall reduction in the number of collisions resulting in people being killed or injured.
Our area was among 15 parts of the borough to be included in phase one of the rollout of the government funded initiative in 2023.
At the time there was criticism from some because the vast majority of those who responded to a consultation were against the plan, and there was also scepticism over how it would be enforced.
An evaluation report being considered by the environment committee on 9 July says that the average cut in speed in West Kirby is 2.4mph. It means the average speed is now 22.6mph, compared to 25mph when the roads had a 30mph limit.
There has also been a 47.2 per cent drop in the number of vehicles travelling at over 30mph, a 29.8 per cent fall in those driving at more than 25mph and a 22.6 per cent increase in those moving at less than 20mph.
The data has come from traffic surveys at 200 locations across Wirral conducted before and after the introduction of the schemes, including vehicle speeds and numbers.
Across the 15 initial areas included in the scheme, the report states: “The results reveal a total of 612 recorded injury collisions within the 5 years prior to the 20mph schemes being delivered and a total of 108 injury collisions during the one year after period.
“When comparing the data per year, this has resulted in a 12% reduction in all injury collisions that equates to a cost saving of around £1.2 million.
“In addition, the results have shown a 23% reduction in incidents in which people were Killed or Seriously Injured (KSIs) and an 8% reduction in slight injury collisions.”
In West Kirby, there were eight collisions in which people were killed or injured in the year after the introduction of the scheme, compared to an average of 10.5 in each of the previous five years.
The report says that the overall reduction will have saved around £1.2m, based on the Department for Transport’s current average cost of a road traffic collision, including lost economic output through sickness, medical and healthcare costs, material damage, police costs, insurance administration, and legal and court costs.
The council also says that there have been “very few” complaints from residents, with “several” requests for extensions.
Between November 2023 and April 2024, Merseyside Police issued more than 300 fines to motorists exceeding the 20mph limit.
