Lib Dem win as Kent County Council changes policy to allow locally supported 20mph zones

To the Conservatives at Kent County Council who failed to understand what the Lib Dems were doing proposing a motion which sought to allow Councillors (if they wished) to back local 20mph schemes with Members Highways Fund money in this year, contrast and compare:

Last line of motion proposed by Martin Vye and Tim Prater on behalf of the Lib Dems (albeit heavily amended by Bryan Sweetland, Conservative Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste) and passed at Full Council today:

"Any new 20mph schemes will follow the normal process of consultation involving local communities and where the criteria for central funding are not met, the council agrees that schemes promoted by Members through their Member Highway Funds should be considered."

Previous policy position of the Council (as discussed and agreed on 4th July at the County Council Environment, Highways and Waste Committee):

"Members are asked to note the existing policy and that new 20mph schemes are promoted only as part of a Casualty Reduction Scheme until the current trials have been evaluated and a new formal policy has been adopted by the County Council."

How long would that take? "Implementation of the trial methods are to be completed by summer 2012 and evaluated over the subsequent 8 to 12 month period. By the summer of 2013 the success of the trial will be determined." said the report. So new schemes couldn't be considered for at least a year.

Do you see what we did there?

Moved the Council from a position saying that no scheme could be brought forward by local residents even with the backing of their local member for at least the next year, to, er, allowing schemes to be brought forward now by local communities if their local County Councillor will fund it from Members Highways Fund.

A small triumph for localism. A win for local communities who actively want 20mph zones in a specific area, and can gain the support of their local County Councillor to fund it. Not a bad day.

The Lib Dem motion (big amendments from Bryan Sweetland were accepted by the movers) as passed by County Council today read:

"KCC has one of the best road safety records of any local authority. In Kent, serious road casualty numbers continue to fall year on year. Over the last ten years KCC has supported over fifty 20mph schemes covering 791 roads in Kent.

This council agrees to continue our current policy of providing 20mph schemes on appropriate roads in residential areas as part of a Casualty Reduction programme until the current trial schemes in Maidstone have been evaluated and reviewed by Members.

"Any new 20mph schemes will follow the normal process of consultation involving local communities and where the criteria for central funding are not met, the council agrees that schemes promoted by Members through their Member Highway Funds should be considered."