Blanket 20mph speed limit to be rolled out in residential areas across Cornwall

060123 SPEED LIMIT 20 MPH CORNWALL WEST COUNTRY/PA
20mph speed limit to be introduced in residential areas of Cornwall Credit: PA Wire

Every residential street in Cornwall will get a 20mph speed limit as part of a £3.8million scheme.

The money will be spent putting up new signs and it is hoped the reduced limit will make roads in Cornwall safer, reducing the number of accidents, deaths and injuries.

It comes after a pilot scheme in Falmouth, Penryn and Camelford. While the government does not set 20mph as a default speed limit, several other local councils including Oxford and Bristol have introduced the lower limit to improve safety.

As well as introducing road signs to inform motorists of the lower speed limit the council is also planning a communications campaign to publicise the change. The changes will be made over a series of five phases which will be completed by 2026.

With the lower limits already introduced in Falmouth, Penryn and Camelford the next areas which will see the change in 2023 will be Camborne, Pool, Redruth, West Penwith, Truro and the Roseland.

Phase three in 2024 will see the 20mph limit introduced in Hayle, St Ives, St Austell, Mevagissey, Newquay, St Columb, Cornwall Gateway, Liskeard, Looe and China Clay areas.

The fourth phase in 2025 will cover Helston, South Kerrier, Bude and Launceston.

While the last areas to get the new limits will be Wadebridge, Padstow, Bodmin, Caradon, St Blazey, Fowey, Lostwithiel, St Agnes and Perranporth which will all be in the fifth and last phase in 2026.

A report on the project is set to go to the council’s economic growth and development overview and scrutiny committee when it meets next week.

Councillors will be asked to approve the proposals with a final decision on the scheme set to be made by the council’s Cabinet in March.

The report explains: “With a sign-only delivery, we will be reliant on behaviour change to reduce vehicle speeds towards compliance. We acknowledge this will take time and we’re addressing this through our communications and engagement strategy."

Credit: Richard Whitehouse, Local Democracy Reporting Service