20 MPH LIMIT PLANS – JUST DAYS LEFT TO VOICE YOUR VIEWS / PARKING MACHINES DECOMMISSIONED IN ANTI-THEFT PILOT / 400 PEOPLE A MONTH ARRESTED FOR ‘DRUG-DRIVING’
There are just days to go for people in Upper Norwood and other parts of north Croydon to say if they want most local roads to get 20mph limits.
Croydon council launched a consultation on 13 May asking if people living in parts of South Norwood, Selhurst, Bensham Manor, Thornton Heath and Upper Norwood want all residential streets except major through roads to get the new limit.
Residents, businesses and local groups have until midnight on Wednesday, 24 June to view a map of the proposed area and give their feedback via www.croydon.gov.uk/20mph.
The plans do not include Transport for London red routes like London Road or busy through roads such as Beulah Hill or Whitehorse Lane, which will keep higher speed limits.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 20mph limits reduce vehicle speeds and cut the risk of being injured in an accident. Other London councils, including Islington and Southwark, have already introduced borough-wide 20mph schemes.
“If the consultation finds enough locals want a 20mph speed limit in the north of the borough, the council will start the formal process of implementing this” said a Croydon council spokesperson.
“Once in place, the council would monitor traffic speeds within the 20mph roads. “If speeding remains an issue, options could include police enforcement and other traffic calming measures.
Croydon’s cabinet member for transport and the environment Cllr Kathy Bee said: “Fast driving is for motorways, not streets where people live, and we’re proposing these 20mph limits to make Croydon safer.
“Time and again, people tell me that cars go too fast on their road. “That’s why we need public support if these proposals are to get anywhere.”
Once the online survey closes, the council will analyse and publish all feedback received later this summer. It will then decide whether to go forward to a wider, formal consultation later this year before the council’s traffic management committee makes final recommendations.
To view the proposals online, including a map of which roads are being consulted on, visit www.croydon.gov.uk/20mph. If you prefer to receive paper copies, contact 020 8726 6000 extension 52831.
The council will consult on widespread 20mph limits in the rest of the borough from next year.
The consultation, which was agreed at March’s cabinet meeting, is funded by a Transport for London grant to improve road safety in Croydon.
PARKING MACHINES DECOMMISSIONED IN ANTI-THEFT PILOT
A pilot scheme designed to reduce the number of thefts of cash from pay-and-display parking machines is set to start today (22 June).
A number of roads around the Addiscombe and Park Hill area will see all but one machine in each road covered and made unavailable for use as, in addition to preventing theft, the council strives to make parking easier and more efficient with its cashless payment system.
Introduced last September, RingGo enables motorists to pay for their parking with a credit or debit card, rather than using cash, at a ticket machine. They need simply park their car, contact RingGo by smartphone app, telephone, SMS or online, and pay the parking charge via their phone.
The pilot scheme covers 15 roads: Leslie Park Road, Lebanon Road, Addiscombe Court Road, Tunstall Road, Park Hill Rise, Park Hill Road, Oval Road, Cedar Road, Chisholm Road, Bisenden Road, Brickwood Road, Blake Road, Colson Road, Leslie Grove, Alpha Road.
Bagged machines will have instructions for customers to advise that they should either use cashless parking or go to the nearest pay-and-display machine indicated by a map.
Croydon’s cabinet member for transport and environment Cllr Kathy Bee said: “The aim of the pilot is to reduce the number of pay-and-display machines on the borough’s streets and, in so doing, reduce the incidence of damage and thefts, which are inconvenient to motorists and costly for the council.
“Theft from pay-and-display machines has been an ongoing problem over the past year or so, and this pilot will help address that issue by reducing the amount of cash held in the machines.
“The thefts invariably result in damage to the machines, sometimes quite severe. In turn, that leaves the council having, in some cases, to pay compensation to those who have lost their money, and having to pay for the repairs to the machines.
“We’re keen to encourage wider use of our cashless parking system, which makes the paying for parking very easy. After initial registration, the motorist can quickly and simply use their phone and not have to worry about having the right change in their pocket to feed a pay-and-display machine.”
Motorists can pre-register with RingGo online by going to www.myRingGo.co.uk/register or by using the smartphone apps, downloadable either through handsets or from the relevant store.
(Source: Croydon council press release.)
400 PEOPLE A MONTH ARRESTED FOR ‘DRUG-DRIVING’
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have revealed for the first time the true scale of drug-driving in England and Wales since new laws came into force – and showed that over 400 people a month have already been arrested for this offence.
The IAM made a Freedom of Information request asking every police force area in England and Wales for the number of arrests made for the new offence (of driving with a specified controlled drug in the body above the specified limit for that drug), since it was introduced on 2 March 2015.
The IAM’s findings show 902 drug-drive arrests in total were made by forces in England and Wales. On average police arrested almost one person every three days for this crime.
In addition the results that have come through have shown there is little consistency in testing and arrests across England and Wales, with figures ranging from 200-plus in one police force down to zero in others.
The new laws introduced in England and Wales on 2 March set limits at very low levels for eight drugs commonly associated with illegal use, such as cannabis and cocaine. Eight prescription drugs were also included within the new law including diazepam, methadone and morphine.
Police are able to use a “drugalyser” to screen for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside. Even if a driver passes the roadside check, officers will still be able to test at a police station for ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin as well as other drugs.
According to the 2010 North Report which looked at the prevalence of illicit drug use among drivers in Great Britain, drugs could be a factor in as many as 200 deaths every year, and six per cent of drivers aged between 17 and 39 claimed to have driven at some time whilst under the influence of drugs. (Source: IAM press release)