Cambridge County Council has spent £348,000 on a 20mph speed limit scheme covering 20 areas, including Cottenham, Fulbourn, Girton, and Willingham. The move comes despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent pledge to limit council powers to impose such 'anti-motorist' measures.
At a meeting yesterday, council officers said the initiative was 'oversubscribed', with 88 applications from community groups and town councils. Conservative councillor Alan Sharp expressed concerns about 'blanket schemes' but noted that 20mph limits near schools were 'important from a road safety point of view'.
Mr Sunak's pro-car pledges, announced ahead of the Conservative Party conference, include restricting the hours when cars are banned from bus lanes and curbing the use of number plate recognition cameras. He told BBC Radio Manchester that 'the vast majority of journeys people make are in their cars' and that fixing potholes is a priority.
In September, Mark Drakeford's Welsh Labour government imposed a blanket 20mph limit across all built-up residential areas, sparking outrage from residents who claim journeys now take twice as long and use twice as much fuel.
