Sutton and Cheam 20mph zone plans 'may cause congestion'

The lowered speed limits are designed to improve road safety, but some residents feel they will only lead to more frustration.

Since October 10, Sutton Council has been running a consultation on lowering the speed limit to 20mph on several roads in the Grove Road area of Sutton. This area currently comprises 30mph residential roads sitting off the major A232 road linking Sutton and Cheam village.

The roads affected include:

Bridgefield Road

Cecil Road

Derby Road

Grove Road (between Salisbury Avenue and Sutton Park Road)

Landseer Road

Rosebery Road

Salisbury Avenue

St James’ Road

Summerville Gardens

Tormead Close

York Road (between Cheam Road and Salisbury Avenue)

On the consultation website, Sutton Council states: “The aim of the 20mph proposal would be to reduce the risk and severity of traffic accidents. This would provide a safer environment for all road users in the area and would make it easier and more pleasant for people to walk and cycle if they wish to.”

TfL data shows that when a pedestrian is involved in an accident, the risk of fatal injury to pedestrians struck by vehicles is lower the slower the vehicle is travelling. A pedestrian hit by a vehicle at 20mph is around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph.

However, some residents feel the decision is not as black and white as made out, with some fearing that the arrival of more 20mph zones will lead to great congestion on their roads. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the area this week to gauge residents’ thoughts on the latest round of speed limit proposals.

Alan Onslow thinks the plans could create more congestion (Image: Harrison Galliven)

Alan Onslow lives on Derby Road and grew up around Cheam. While he understands the council’s focus on safety, he feels most people already drive at 20mph on roads around his area. He told the LDRS: “Personally, I never really get above 20mph on this road even though it’s 30mph. You’ve got the parked cars that automatically slow you down anyway.

“Ninety nine per cent of people are reasonable drivers that drive at a speed that’s reasonable for the road. Obviously what’s happened here is they’ve put the main road down to 20mph, and everything thinks ’20 isn’t that good’ so they come down these roads.

“As a result they get congested, and now they want to bring these down to 20. I think they should put the main road back up to 30, I would then be more supportive of side roads having lower limits. I just think 20mph roads everywhere is not helpful.”

Grove Road runs parallel to the A232 between Sutton and Cheam village. According to some residents, Grove Road’s current classification as a 30mph road means it often becomes a ‘rat run’ in rush hour periods.

One Grove Road resident told the LDRS: “I think the proposals are a good idea because Waze and other navigation apps send people onto this road. It’s not constant up here but it’s happening, and it feels a lot quicker up this road because of it.”

Fellow resident, Susan Green, commented: “It will help at the corner with York Road, everyone speeds when they get to that crossing and I’ve seen a few crashes round there in my time.”

However, elderly resident Brian Golding disagreed, saying: “It might be good for the children here and around schools, but I’m totally against it being implemented across the borough. Look what happened in Wales when they introduced it, total chaos.”

The current proposals come as part of a wave of speed limit changes across the borough. While the council has resisted urges to move towards a borough-wide blanket 20mph limit, they have expressed an intention to improve road safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

The A232, a TfL-managed red route, was reduced to 20mph earlier this year as part of Sadiq Kahn’s Vision Zero plan. This London-wide scheme aims to ‘eliminate serious injuries and deaths from London’s roads and transportation networks by 2041.’

Sutton has worked alongside TfL by introducing their own 20mph zones to link up with the TfL roads. A recent example of this has been seen around Cheam’s Sandy Lane area.

However, some residents feel this approach is creating a confusing ‘patchwork’ of different speed limits. Alan Onslow, who used to live near Sandy Lane, told the LDRS: “Whilst there’s not a blanket 20mph across the borough, they’re just going to make every single small area 20mph and then you end up getting the same result.

“I like safe roads, but the people that are going to speed will speed anyway. I don’t think there will be much of an impact apart from more frustration.”

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The council has made clear that the consultation is not a referendum on the scheme, but will rather play a part in them considering whether to go ahead with it. This has led some residents to feel that the council can ignore their views and go ahead with proposals as planned.

One resident told the LDRS: “Most of the people I spoke to didn’t want the speed limit to change on Sandy Lane, but it seems the council want to go ahead with it anyway.”

Rosebery Road resident Jane Gorringe broadly agrees with the proposals, as they will stop lorries using their packed residential roads. She told the LDRS: “I don’t mind the 20mph on the side streets, but the 20mph on the main road going from Sutton to Cheam is ridiculous. There’s no need because everybody has got to be somewhere and sometimes you have to get there quicker than that.”