Bogus 'evidence' in the Sun tabloid newspaper is being exploited by Westminster Council to justify its refusal to implement 20mph speed limits.
Westminster, London's most dangerous Borough for road users, has repeatedly refused requests from residents' associations, from cyclists' and pedestrians' groups, from the London Assembly, and from Transport for London to implement the 20mph urban speed limit which has been proved by the Department for Transport to save life and limb. Westminster's Cycling Strategy, published in November 2014, is the latest to repeat Westminster's official line that "to date there has been mixed evidence on the impact of 20 mph schemes". The document gives no data and no source for its 'mixed evidence', making the claim impossible to verify. To those familiar with the data the only 'mixed evidence' at that time was between very good and excellent.
Now campaigner Andrea Casalotti has released correspondence showing that Westminster's idea of 'mixed evidence' is taken from an infamous mistake in the Sun, Britain's widest-selling tabloid newspaper. On 11 August 2012 the Sun claimed in an exclusive that 20mph limits were not working because the casualty statistics for 2011 showed that casualties on 20mph roads had increased by 24 per cent while those on 30mph roads fell by 1 per cent. The Sun blunder was quickly denounced on BBC Radio 4's popular statistics programme More or Less and by independent fact-checking organisation Fullfact.org, but the only difference this has made to Westminster is that they no longer cite data that can be traced to the Sun report.
Mr. Casalotti's correspondence in 2013 with former Councillor Ed Argar, then the Westminster Council Cabinet Member for City Management, Transport, & the Environment, shows clearly that Westminster's only evidence against the benefits of 20mph comes from the Sun, because he quotes the same figures and conclusion as in the tabloid exclusive. On 15 March 2013 former Cllr Argar emailed Mr. Casalotti: "In respect of 20 mph limits as a broader policy the existing evidence presents a mixed picture and is not unequivocal. Westminster currently has no plans to introduce 20 mph limits/ zones."
When Mr Casalotti requested details of this 'mixed picture', former Cllr Argar replied on 17 April: "The mixed picture I was referring to relates to, as one example, the experience of Portsmouth ... [which he says was inconclusive]. Similarly, national statistics for 2011, published in mid-2012 appeared to show that the casualties on roads in 20 mph zones rose by 24%, while on 30 mph roads there was a fall in casualties of 1%."
This is Westminster Council's only evidence on negative benefits from 20mph: the bogus figures and conclusion from the Sun.
Westminster, London's most dangerous Borough for road users, has repeatedly refused requests from residents' associations, from cyclists' and pedestrians' groups, from the London Assembly, and from Transport for London to implement the 20mph urban speed limit which has been proved by the Department for Transport to save life and limb. Westminster's Cycling Strategy, published in November 2014, is the latest to repeat Westminster's official line that "to date there has been mixed evidence on the impact of 20 mph schemes". The document gives no data and no source for its 'mixed evidence', making the claim impossible to verify. To those familiar with the data the only 'mixed evidence' at that time was between very good and excellent.
Now campaigner Andrea Casalotti has released correspondence showing that Westminster's idea of 'mixed evidence' is taken from an infamous mistake in the Sun, Britain's widest-selling tabloid newspaper. On 11 August 2012 the Sun claimed in an exclusive that 20mph limits were not working because the casualty statistics for 2011 showed that casualties on 20mph roads had increased by 24 per cent while those on 30mph roads fell by 1 per cent. The Sun blunder was quickly denounced on BBC Radio 4's popular statistics programme More or Less and by independent fact-checking organisation Fullfact.org, but the only difference this has made to Westminster is that they no longer cite data that can be traced to the Sun report.
Mr. Casalotti's correspondence in 2013 with former Councillor Ed Argar, then the Westminster Council Cabinet Member for City Management, Transport, & the Environment, shows clearly that Westminster's only evidence against the benefits of 20mph comes from the Sun, because he quotes the same figures and conclusion as in the tabloid exclusive. On 15 March 2013 former Cllr Argar emailed Mr. Casalotti: "In respect of 20 mph limits as a broader policy the existing evidence presents a mixed picture and is not unequivocal. Westminster currently has no plans to introduce 20 mph limits/ zones."
When Mr Casalotti requested details of this 'mixed picture', former Cllr Argar replied on 17 April: "The mixed picture I was referring to relates to, as one example, the experience of Portsmouth ... [which he says was inconclusive]. Similarly, national statistics for 2011, published in mid-2012 appeared to show that the casualties on roads in 20 mph zones rose by 24%, while on 30 mph roads there was a fall in casualties of 1%."
This is Westminster Council's only evidence on negative benefits from 20mph: the bogus figures and conclusion from the Sun.
Westminster is keeping its no-20mph policy 'under review'. So are the capital's road safety organisations.