Opposition leader says the scheme will “cause more traffic, pollution and inconvenience” reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents have until the end of October to comment on 20mph plans for the borough’s town centres.

Enfield Council is proposing to reduce the speed limit in Edmonton, Palmers Green and Southgate town centres to 20mph.

The council listed the benefits to the proposal including speed being a “contributing factor to 61% of recorded injury-related collisions”.

There were 42% fewer road collisions after implementing 20mph speed limits and a person hit by a vehicle travelling at 20mph was five times more likely to survive than if the vehicle was travelling at 30mph.

The council stated there was “cleaner air and lower emissions” due to “smoother driving and less braking” as well as more people feeling encouraged to walk or cycle.

From July to September the council asked residents to comment on 20mph speed plans across the borough generally and 1749 people responded.

Results showed 51% of respondents were either “highly supportive or somewhat supportive” of implementation of 20mph limits on residential streets, while 45% were “not very supportive or not at all” and 4% remained neutral.

For town centres, 53% of residents were supportive while 40% were not and 7% were neutral. In terms of themes, the council stated residents did not want to see 20mph “on all roads”.

The leader of the opposition party Alessandro Georgiou, said residents were “rightly angry” as some felt these plans would “cause more traffic, pollution and inconvenience”.

He said: “Residents don’t want it as they know the chaos that it will cause.”

The consultation, which runs until Sunday, 26th October, lists the roads the proposal will cover in each town.

For more information or to take part in the consultation: Visit Safer Streets in Enfield: 20mph Speed Limits | Let’s Talk Enfield

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