The call for the speed limit in built up areas to be reduced to 20mph has got the support of Sinn Fein, the party’s Derry MLA Raymond McCartney has said.
A bill, which will legislate for the speed reduction, is currently being deliberated on at the Assembly in Stormont.
Mr McCartney said: “At our Ard Fheis in February we passed a motion in support of the ’20 is plenty’ campaign and on the DRD committee we are carefully scrutinising the Road Traffic (Speed Limits) Bill.
“The aim of the proposed legislation is to make built up areas more safer and whilst we support a reduced speed limit of 20mph in built up areas, to date we have been presented with little evidence that this could not be achieved using existing legislation.
“At present, DRD can designate areas as 20mph zones. In fact, there is currently 88.7 miles of road with a 20mph limit in the North.
“However, if the proposed legislation is implemented all urban roads in the North (4,291 kms) would be reduced to a 20mph default limit. In such a scenario, DRD would then have to painstakingly go through each road and present the case for its 20mph limit to be deviated from, if required.
“The other reality is that rural roads would not be covered by such legislation and statistically around three quarter of fatalities occurs on such roads.”
Mr McCartney concluded: “Whilst we are supportive of a 20mph limit in residential and other built up areas, a lot more evidence and scrutiny is required before the case for new legislation can be proven.”
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