Anger at Bristol's 20mph zones

As a bid by Conservative councillors to halt the roll-out of Bristol's 20mph is blocked by the Bristol Mayor, George Ferguson tells us why he is championing them.

A move to halt the roll-out of Bristol's 20mph speed restrictions has been thwarted.

Conservative councillors claim the limits are being ignored by motorists and are making some roads more dangerous. At a meeting of full council they proposed a motion asking Bristol Mayor George Ferguson to give Neighbourhood Partnerships the powers to identify, prioritise and agree appropriate 20mph speed zones for their communities.

The motion was passed by councillors but the Mayor has the final say and he says he is committed to seeing the £2.3m scheme through.

Bristol City Council says the new 20mph zones will save lives by increasing the chance of pedestrian and cyclist accident survival rates. It says the zones have been chosen because they are areas which have a seen a high volume of such accidents.

The Council quotes the following statistics from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents:

• A pedestrian struck at 20 mph has a 97% chance of survival
• This falls to an 80% chance of survival if they are struck at 30 mph
• They have only a 50% chance at 35 mph

Read more: More 20mph speed limits introduced in Bristol

Bristol City Council has issued this statement about the new 20mph zones in the city:

The introduction of a new wave of 20mph zones in Bristol is proving controversial. Here are a selection of your comments from the ITV West Country facebook page

20 mile an hour speed limits have been introduced in parts of Bristol to improve safety and to make life better for other road users.

Clifton and Bishopston are part of a city wide roll-out. It follows a successful pilot in Bedminster and Southville, which has been in operation since 2010.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says there is a 20% chance of dying when someone is hit by a car travelling at 30 miles an hour but it is reduced to 2.5% at 20 miles an hour. The scheme will eventually cover the whole of the city.

There's been a call for Bristol to think again about introducing a 20 mph speed limit right across the city. It comes as plans to extend the policy go out to consultation.

The aim is for all except the major routes to be 20 mph by 2015.

But today one councillor said a blanket scheme couldn't be enforced.

Bob Constantine reports:

Plans for a city wide speed limit of 20 miles per hour in Bristol are being discussed by the City Council's cabinet.

Conservative Transport spokesman Mark Weston has submitted formal written objections which will be debated.

He is urging Bristol Mayor George Ferguson not to go ahead with the scheme.