20mph speed limits: 'Cars crashing into walls and gardens' in 'beautiful' Yorkshire village as 20mph expansion backed

East Riding Councillor Leo Hammond, who represents the Conservatives, said the B1246’s sharp bend through North Dalton was an example of where 20mph limits were needed as councillors backed calls to extend them. Labour’s Coun Steve Gallant said he was hoping to get funding to pilot a 20mph scheme in Hedon, adding a lack of cash often made lowering speed limits difficult.

It comes as Coun Paul West’s call to implement 20mph zones where needed was backed at East Riding Council’s full meeting on Wednesday (Oct 4).

Coun West said it was part of the Safer Roads Humber push towards getting zero deaths on local roads.

Coun West said: “‘Some people may feel that this is too much, my response to that is one death is too much. It is a fact that a pedestrian or a driver has more chance of surviving a collision if a car is driving at 20 to 25 miles per hour, than if a car is travelling at 30 to 35 miles per hour.”

Coun Hammond said he had roads like the one running through North Dalton in mind when it came to places where 20mph limits would work, but he added he did not believe in a blanket approach to speed limits as some 30mph roads were fine as they are.

Coun Hammond said: “North Dalton is a beautiful village with a great pub, village hall, pond and church. All of which are sadly located on a very tight bend in the centre of the village.

“The layout of this bend dictates that any sensible driver would not go around it at the allowed 30mph speed limit. But many do, and we regularly get complaints of vehicles crashing into walls and gardens. There’s also high pedestrian footfall, so it should be 20mph.

“However in some places 30mph is absolutely fine, having blanket 20mph limits would devalue their impact.”

Coun Gallant said enforcement measures needed for 20mph roads and dwindling budgets for them meant implementation was a challenge.

He said: “The council’s traffic calming budget is only around £80,000 a year, it used to be about a quarter of a million. I’ve got a meeting with Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison to find a way to introduce a 20mph zone in Hedon as a pilot for the whole of the East Riding.

“Edinburgh introduced 20mph limits five years ago and there’s been a 70 per cent reduction in collisions and pedestrian accidents and injuries.”