What are the preliminary findings on the impact of city-wide 20mph/30kph legislation in Edinburgh and Belfast?

Abstract

Implementation of 20 mph speed limits has recently taken place in Edinburgh and Belfast. This presentation will explore the preliminary analyses in terms of driver perceptions; public support; perceptions of safety; road speeds; number and type of road casualties; and attitudes and levels of walking and cycling. Data sources for analyses will include routinely collected data (e.g. national surveys), naturally occurring data (e.g. automatic cycle and pedestrian counters) and purposefully collected data by external organisations (e.g. SUSTRANS Route User Intercept Surveys). We also implemented our own Driver and Resident Perceptions survey pre and post implementation in 3 (of 6) implementation zones in Edinburgh. Data were collected at varying time points and with varying data collection points. As a result, we will use a number of designs and models to analyse the effects including pre-post, time-series and controlled before-and-after designs. Preliminary data analyses are planned for April 2018. For each of the research questions we will also explore (where and when possible and using appropriate techniques) how the effects differ between areas and population groups (age, gender, and socioeconomic status) and the time-frame for different effects. Findings will be used to test, refine and modify the Programme Theory and Logic Model. Our overarching objective is to assess the impacts and outcomes of introducing a city-wide 20 mph speed limit in Edinburgh and a city centre speed limit in Belfast.