The Road Assessment Criteria

From June 2022 Road authorities began assessing their 30 mph road network to ascertain roads which are appropriate for a lower speed limit of 20 mph. To apply a level of consistency when assessing their road network, the following road criteria was created and was used by all road authorities.

Identifying any of the following place criteria on a road with a speed limit of 30 mph will give an indication that the road is appropriate for a reduced speed limit of 20 mph. Several factors should be considered when making the assessment which include - but are not restricted to the following:

• Is the road within 100 m walk of any educational setting e.g. Early years, primary, secondary, further & higher education.
• Does the number of residential and/or retail premises fronting the road (on one or

both sides) exceed 20 over a continuous road length of between 400 – 600 m.

• Other key buildings which attract members of the public should also be considered.
• Is the road within 100 m walk of an area of public interest such as a community centre, place of worship, sports facility (including playparks), hospital, GP, or health centre.
• Does the composition of road users imply a lower speed of 20 mph which will

improve the conditions and facilities for vulnerable road users and other mode

shift. (build capacity by reflecting on future delivery plans such as active and sustainable travel, consider existing and future levels of vulnerable road users)

• Will the road, surrounding environment and the community be improved by a lower speed limit of 20 mph e.g. quality of life, social cohesiveness, severance, noise, or air quality, active travel)

Points to Note - The presumption is that all 30 mph roads are appropriate for a lower speed limit of 20 mph. However, there will be some anomalies, where roads meet the criteria but are not appropriate and others which do not meet the place criteria but are appropriate for a 20 mph speed limit. This is where local knowledge and community feedback is key to setting the most appropriate speed limit for the environment.

In general, a road suitable to remain at 30 mph will typically be on A and B Class roads with little frontage activity and where people walking, wheeling, and cycling do not need to share space with motor traffic.

A minimum road length for the speed limit is suggested between 400-600 m. The length adopted will depend on the conditions at or beyond the end points.