Slowing Drivers in London

8:15 AM PST on December 7, 2009

Today on the Streetsblog Network, we've got some good news from Tom Vanderbilt's How We Drive
blog about lower speed limits coming to London. The borough of
Islington will be radically expanding the number of streets with a
speed limit of only 20 miles per hour. The goal is "a 10-year target of
lowering traffic deaths by a third."

Motorists will be seeing more of this in London. (Photo: oobrien via Flickr)

As Vanderbilt writes, it's a policy that could make a real difference -- unlike the approaches used in too many American cities:

Rather than rote anti-jaywalking campaigns and the like, it’s nice tosee some sanity entering the issue of urban speed. The recentlyreleased findings on pedestrian safety in cities, which again foundFlorida hogging several of the most-dangerous spots, speak to this;it’s not uncommon, in cities like Orlando, to see 40-mph zones indense, pedestrian-heavy areas.

Elsewhere around the network: The Transport Politic reports on Florida's big plans for more rail. Boston Biker has a great guide to helping your bike survive the winter. And Copenhagenize has a nifty post about the history of Danish bicycle messenger culture:

Bike messengers in Denmark were called "svajere" and they were wellknown for being cheeky and loud and for their use of "colourfullanguage." Back in the 1920s and 1930s, if the "svajere" whistled atune you could be sure that it would be a hit.

He's got some great pictures, too. The messengers were a stylish crew.

Sarah Goodyear

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