John Leech MP to champion Sustrans' campaign for safer streets in Manchester.

South Manchester Liberal Democrat MP John Leech has become a champion for Sustrans’ Campaign for Safer Streets, supporting the right of every child to have a safe walk, bike or scoot to school.

John Leech MP said today:

“In Manchester, Lib Dems proposed the 20’s Plenty speed limit in residential areas, and I am supporting this Sustrans’ campaign because every child has the right to a safe walk, bike or scoot to school,”

John, who last year submitted a road safety bill in the House of Commons, added,

“Walking, cycling or scooting to school is a great way to include physical activity in a child’s daily routine, while building healthy habits for a lifetime. If we can create an environment where children can have an active and safe journey to school, we’ll not only prevent needless and tragic road incidents, but also improve public health, reduce air pollution and reduce road congestion.”

Sustrans is campaigning for a safer school run to tackle the inactivity crisis and predictions that in the UK as many as 70% of girls and 55% of boys could be overweight or obese by 2050.

Yet with nearly half of children failing to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity each day, the number of families choosing to make the school run by car is on the rise. Little wonder when in 2012, 33 children were killed and over 1800 seriously injured while walking and cycling.

Sustrans’ Campaign for Safer Streets is calling for:

·         Dedicated funding to transform routes and invest in walking and cycling at the local level

·         20mph default speed limit across built up areas – makes everyone’s route safer

·         Stronger duties and incentives on Local Authorities to develop routes and promote walking and cycling 

 Details of John’s Road Safety Bill can be found at http://johnleechmp.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/road-safety-bill/

Details of the 20’s plenty campaign can be found at http://victorchamberlain.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/manchester-say-twenty-is-plenty.html?spref=tw
and http://victorchamberlain.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/use-airport-windfall-money-to-implement.html?spref=tw

Join Sustrans’ Campaign for Safer Streets at www.sustrans.org.uk/safetoschool

Sustrans is the charity that’s enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make every day. It’s time we all began making smarter travel choices. Make your move and support Sustrans today.www.sustrans.org.uk

Use Airport windfall money to implement Twenty’s Plenty for Manchester

Manchester Council should use part of the £14million windfall it received from Airport shares to introduce 20mph limits on Manchester’s residential roads say local Lib Dems. Nearly two years ago Chorlton Lib Dem Cllr Victor Chamberlain put forward a successful Council motion calling for 20mph limits on all of Manchester’s residential roads. Cllr Chamberlain has now applied to use part of the Council’s Clean and Green fund established from the airport dividend to see them rolled out across the city. 

Cllr Chamberlain said: “20mph limits not only help save lives and prevent road injuries but they also make our roads more useable for everyone. 20mph limits encourage more people to walk and cycle, result in fewer greenhouse gases and reduced noise pollution. 

Introducing them on our residential roads would be a good way to help mitigate the environmental impact the Airport has and make our city cleaner and greener.”

South Manchester MP John Leech , who won BRAKE's Parliamentarian of the Year for Road Safety, said: "The Council has received a one off windfall from the Airport group. Manchester Liberal Democrats are rightly calling for this money to be invested in our future. Introducing 20mph limits will prevent countless road casualties and injuries but it will also make our residential roads nicer places to be and more environmentally friendly." 

John Leech MP's Guest Blog: Let’s work together for a 20mph limit across Manchester’s residential streets

With John Leech MP, Manchester Euro MP Chris Davies and Chorlton residents

This is the column Chorlton MP John Leech wrote for the South Manchester Reporter:

Last week the Council’s Executive met to finally sign off a plan that will take the first steps in making the default speed limit on residential streets 20mph. 20s plenty speed limits will be piloted in parts of Hulme, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Miles Platting & Newton Heath and parts of Ancoats, Clayton and Gorton using £500k from Government Public Health money. This is a welcomed first step, but well overdue. Chorlton’s Lib Dem Councillor Victor Chamberlain passed a council motion with all party support to see 20mph limits introduced on all of Manchester’s non-major residential roads some 17 months ago.

I’m proud that we have all party support and this is now being taken up in Manchester along with other urban areas across the country taking the necessary steps to save lives. Since I became an MP I have been passionate about road safety and have pushed successive governments on the issue. I worked closely with Norman Baker on the issue when I was on the Transport Select Committee, and, now he is a Transport Minister he’s cutting the red tape in Government and making it easier for local authorities.

I have long been an advocate of “Twenty’s Plenty”. In 2008 I introduced a bill into Parliament which the road safety charity BRAKE thought was such a milestone in the campaign they awarded me Parliamentarian of Year in 2008.

The council are now taking the important steps to improve road safety; the areas they have selected are based on areas of high deprivation and where there have been accidents before. However, what the council need to do is roll this out city-wide and not play a postcode lottery with people’s lives. This is about making our roads safer and more accessible to all users.

There are ways of quickly spreading the message of road safety in a cost-effective manner and one idea put forward by Cllrs James Hennigan and Mary Di Mauro would be to introduce 20mph stickers on wheely bins. Obviously this would not be the only way of introducing 20mph zones but it is a quick and effective way of spreading the message of road safety and creating ownership of the campaign.

The simple fact is that when a person is hit by a car at 30 mph they are 50% likely to be killed. If someone is hit by a car at 20 mph they are 10% likely to be killed.

I certainly don’t want to read about another victim of a road accident knowing it was preventable. We all need to work together and roll this out city wide so all Mancunians can benefit from safer, cleaner and greener roads.

Twenty's Plenty for Manchester finally starting to happen!

In February last year I put forward a successful Lib Dem Council motion to see 20mph limits introduced on all of Manchester's non-major residential roads. I am delighted that today the Council's Executive Committee has committed £500,000 of public health money to see this policy rolled out in three areas: parts of Hulme, Moss Side and Fallowfied, Miles Platting & Newton Heath and parts of Ancoats and Clayton, and Gorton North and South. Sadly Chorlton will not be included in this first rollout as the Council is focusing on areas of high deprivation and accidents where 20mph have been proven to be most effective.

This is a really good first step and will save lives and make our roads more useable for everyone. I'm pleased the Council is using the increased Public Health money the Government has given to Manchester to make this possible. Many communities are going to benefit from this first stage but we need to roll it out citywide so that ALL Mancunians can benefit! The Council shouldn't be playing a postcode lottery with road safety as this has a huge impact on people's lives. The Government is fully behind this initiative; Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker MP has and is continuing to make it easier to introduce 20mph limits.

20mph limits work best where there is community ownership and establishment endorsement. This requires extensive community engagement and public education not just traffic calming. Where this is done well schemes are self-enforcing. I'm pleased that the Executive recognised this point but it is really important that we ensure the Council do this properly and citywide. My colleague Cllr Mary Di Mauro who spoke at the Executive suggested the Council should explore the option of putting 20mph stick-on-signs on wheelie bins as a way of repeating the limit and giving people ownership of Twenty's Plenty. I think this is a really good suggestion and there's potential to have these stickers sponsored which could cover the cost and even raise funds to roll 20mph limits out further.

A great first step but we must keep up the pressure to see 20mph limits on Chorlton's and the rest of Manchester's residential roads!

£600k Boost for cycling in Manchester from Coalition Government

Cyclists in Manchester are set to benefit from investment in safer roads, announced by Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker.

This funding boost is part of £40m fund to improve dangerous routes and junctions and in Greater Manchester will provide 100 advanced stop lines and 50 trixi mirrors help prevent cyclist casualties. As well as this the Wimslow Road/Wilbraham Road junction will receive a £200k boost making it more cycle friendly.

The money will be made available to improve the design and layout of roads at 78 locations across the country, with all schemes due for completion within the next 12 months.

Commenting, John Leech said:

!Road safety is so vital in Manchester for cyclists and other road users and I’m delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action to improve road safety for all.

“It is absolutely essential people should be able to cycle to work or school in a safe environment. This £600k government funding boost in our area will go a long way to achieving this.

“Not only is cycling healthy and enjoyable but by getting more people out of their cars and on their bikes, we can ease congestion too and strengthen our local economy.”

Councillor for Withington Simon Wheale said, “I’m really pleased with this investment the Wilmslow Road/Wilbraham Road junction is one of the main routes into town for Withington and Fallowfield residents and a very dangerous junction. I’m glad we are finally seeing an investment that will mean thousands can travel to and from town safely.”
Last year Liberal Democrats in Manchester passed a motion to introduce 20mph in Manchester, now’s the time to implement this to make Manchester a cycle friendly city with a strong emphasis on road safety for all.”

Commenting further, Norman Baker said:

“Cycling is healthy and reduces congestion so it is welcome news that more and more people are taking to two wheels. Ensuring this funding is targeted where improvements will make a real difference to cyclists is just one way we are ensuring this trend continues.

“This is part of the £107 million investment we have announced in cycling infrastructure over the last year, over and above the £600m we have invested through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

“We have launched a THINK! “Let’s Look Out For Each Other” campaign and have made it easier for councils to set 20mph speed limits and install trixi mirrors at junctions so drivers are better able to see cyclists.”

“Twenty’s Plenty” on Greater Manchester roads says Lib Dem PCC Candidate

Cllr Victor Chamberlain (Left), John Leech MP (second left),
Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker MP (second right)
and Lib Dem PCC candidate Matt Gallagher (right)

Former policeman and Lib Dem Police Chief candidate, Matt Gallagher, is calling for Greater Manchester Councils to tackle their “scandalous” road safety record by implementing a blanket 20mph speed limit on all residential roads. 

Greater Manchester has the North West’s highest rate of overall pedestrian casualties. Last year 744 people were needlessly killed or seriously injured on Greater Manchester’s Roads and over 7000 people were hurt. Matt is calling for 20mph to become the speed limit on all residential roads, excluding major routes. Lowering urban and residential speed limits to 20 mph has been found to decrease child pedestrian accidents by up to 70%. In Portsmouth the 20mph limit on all residential roads has reduced casualties by 22%. 

Matt Gallagher, who has 30 years experience of fighting crime in Greater Manchester, said: “As a former frontline Police officer I have seen the devastating and fatal impact speeding has. There are still far too many people needlessly killed or injured on Greater Manchester’s Roads. Greater Manchester Councils need to take this issue more seriously. I want to work with them to tackle this scandalous situation. An extra couple of minutes on a journey is worth it if it means saving the life of just one child.” 

“The vast majority of the people support reducing the speed limit because it not only makes our roads safer it also encourages more people to walk and cycle. This reduces traffic noise, pollution and carbon emissions. Blanket 20mph limits also benefit the Police by reducing the crash investigation workload for Traffic Police freeing them up to go after Criminals. 

“The Liberal Democrats in Government have cut bureaucracy and made it easier to implement 20mph speed limits; I want Greater Manchester to take advantage of this to help save lives and make our streets pleasant for all road users. 

"We need 20mph limits where people live, work and play.”

Lib Dems say Twenty is Plenty

With John Leech MP, Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman
Baker MP and Matt Gallagher, Lib Dem candidate to be
Grt Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner
promoting 20mph limits in Central Manchester

Last week Liberal Democrats passed the 20 is Plenty – Saving Lives on the Road motion at their Autumn Conference, which calls for a dramatic expansion of a 20mph speed limit in the UK.


I was delighted to get the oppertunity to attend the debate and vote for the motion. Liberal Democrats have been leading the way on road safety. In Lib Dem-led councils, local speed limits of 20mph have proven successful in reducing the number of pedestrian deaths on our roads.

Moving towards a national 20mph limit in residential areas is the right thing to do to further lower our road fatality rate and it is clear the public are backing this approach.

Julie Townsend, the deputy chief executive of Road Safety charity Brake, said: "Brake strongly welcomes this recognition by the Liberal Democrats that 20mph is the most appropriate speed limit on residential streets.

“Slowing down to 20 gives drivers far more chance to react in an emergency and avoid hitting someone, significantly reducing the threat posed to the most vulnerable road users.”

Simple steps to slow our traffic down to 20

This column appeared in Monday’s Manchester Evening News:

Last year 174 people were killed or seriously injured on Manchester’s roads and there were nearly 2000 road casualties. These shocking statistics help explain why Manchester has the North West’s second highest rate of overall pedestrian casualties; and the UK has Europe’s highest proportion of pedestrian road deaths and lowest levels of children walking or cycling to school. Half of the people hit by a car at 30mph will die; in contrast 90% of those hit by a car at 20mph survive. In February I proposed a Lib Dem ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ Council Motion in favour of introducing 20mph on Manchester’s residential roads. I was delighted that is was unanimously supported by Councillors.

If this policy is introduced it means Manchester roads would be safer with far fewer needless road deaths and casualties and it would make our roads user-friendly for everyone. These proposals have been very warmly received because they not only make our roads safer but also encourage more people to walk and cycle thus reducing traffic noise, pollution and carbon emissions. In Lib Dem run Portsmouth (the UK’s first 20mph City) they have seen a 22% drop in road casualties and a healthier, cleaner and greener city.

Some people have been concerned that 20mph limits would delay journey times. However average speeds in Manchester are generally well below 20mph because of congestion and queues. In fact traffic flows more freely at 20mph than 30mph and reducing speed means quicker journeys. There have also been those that say you can’t enforce 20mph limits. Effective 20mph limits can be achieved with community ownership alongside establishment endorsement. Effective public information campaigns, and low cost entry and reminder signs have been proven to dramatically kill speed in many Cities and mean 20mph is self enforced.

Sadly despite unanimous support for 20mph limits the Labour Council have been putting bureaucracy and politics in the way of saving lives and getting more people walking and cycling. At first they came up with ridiculous suggestions of putting traffic calming on every road at a cost of £41million; thankfully they’ve now agreed that a £2.8 million scheme with an extensive consultation and education campaign and entry signs into 20mph areas and reminder 20mph signs every 500m would be more appropriate. However this figure is still way too high. 20′s Plenty For Us, the national campaign group for 20mph limits, estimates the cost of introducing the policy is £3 per head of population; about £1.5million for Manchester. It is so disappointing that the Council is not taking the lead on this issue and has confirmed nothing more will progress without a Government handout. Other Councils have got on with the job of saving lives rather than shifting the burden for Party Political reasons.

There are many ways the Council can look to pay for Twenty’s Plenty. Just in the last three years the Labour Council have written off over £1.7million of money owed to local taxpayers. This would have been more than enough to at least get the ball rolling. Over 8 million UK residents live in areas with blanket 20mph residential limits so Manchester City Council only needs to ask colleagues around the country for guidance. The Council should produce detailed financial and introduction plans so that we have a Twenty’s Plenty plan that is ‘shelf ready’ when money becomes available. Last year the Department for Transport could have offered help through their end of year budgets but because of Manchester Council bureaucracy we missed out!

Road safety is a local responsibility and it shouldn’t be left up to Government to pay for it. Manchester Liberal Democrats put forward an alternative budget that included some money for Twenty’s Plenty. Sadly this motion was voted down and the Labour budget included nothing for reducing the speed limit. In 2007 John Leech, the Lib Dem MP for Manchester Withington, introduced a Parliamentary bill to get the last Labour Government to reduce the default speed limit; sadly this was not supported. However thanks to changes the Liberal Democrats have made in Government it will be quicker, cheaper and simpler for Councils to introduce 20mph limits.

At the Liberal Democrats Conference in a couple of weeks the party will discuss making 20mph limits the default speed on UK residential roads. I fully support these proposals and hope they are successful so that we can start to change national attitudes towards speed. The Lib Dem proposals also deal with dawdling Councils like Manchester by calling for government to give appropriate financial support to Councils to ensure that upfront costs of conversion are no barrier to changing speed limits. I’m pleased that despite Labour’s obstructions the Liberal Democrats are taking the lead on this issue and helping to save lives and make our roads more useable for everyone