21 June 2002
The Commons' transport select committee called for new guidance for local authorities on speed limits to tackle road deaths. The committee suggested 20mph near schools, 30mph on main roads and 40mph on C roads.
A report by the committee outlined a number of measures aimed at cutting the annual road death toll to under 1,000 a year. More than 3,000 were recorded in 2000.
The committee, which has repeatedly upset ministers under the formidable stewardship of chair Gwyneth Dunwoody, demanded greater investment in safety advertising and more traffic police and speed humps.
The report, published on June 19, also called for a U-turn in government policy and the provision of thousands of extra speed cameras. The government has ordered local authorities to paint speed cameras yellow and restrict them to dangerous stretches of road.
The committee wants the entire country to be covered by 2004. It said: 'Crashes do not just occur at accident blackspots. There was no scientific research to support this decision. People will die as a result.'
The report also expressed disappointment over the lack of progress made on road safety since Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a new policy two years ago, saying: 'Proposals have not been implemented, others have been dropped.'
It added that the prime minister 'now has to decide whether government policy on speed will be dominated by concerns about how it is portrayed by a section of the motoring lobby and in parts of the press'.
PFjun2002
