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01
Feb 2023
North Yorkshire transport chief accuses 20mph campaigners of 'misleading' tactics
North Yorkshire’s transport chief has accused the 20’s Plenty group of using “misleading” tactics in its pursuit of a new 20mph default speed limit in the county.
20's Plenty for Us consists of 600 local groups campaigning for a speed limit of 20mph to be normal on residential streets and in town and village centres.
Councillor Keane Duncan said leading members of the group appear “blindly ideological” and are demanding a default 20mph limit be agreed before the council has been able to fully consider key issues such as enforcement, value for money and road safety implications.
Cllr Duncan, who is North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport, was asked by the council’s executive in November to investigate the approach to 20mph speed limits.
But the Conservative said this detailed work was being undermined by 20’s Plenty campaigners demanding his review be cut short prematurely and for £1m to be agreed as part of this year’s budget to roll-out the new default limit.
He also said 20’s Plenty were “exaggerating” levels of public support, and motions submitted by opposition councillors, such as one considered at the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee calling for a 20mph pilot, were creating confusion due to “unclear” language.
Cllr Duncan said:
Read more:
- 20mph speed limits to be investigated in Harrogate and Knaresborough
- Majority of residents want 20mph speed limit, councillor says
Cllr Duncan accused campaigners of "using increasingly ruthless tactics" to get him to cut short his investigation prematurely and award them £1m before it has completed its investigations. He added:
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