EU plans to enforce 20mph speed limits in residential zones and replace Highway Code with European laws sparks outrage

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EU plans to enforce 20mph speed limits in residential zones and replace Highway Code with European laws sparks outrage
EU plans to enforce 20mph speed limits in residential zones and replace Highway Code with European laws sparks outrage

The European Union's plans to enforce a mandatory 20mph speed limit in residential zones and replace the Highway Code with European law has sparked outrage from British politicians.
Conservative Members of the European Parliament tonight slammed the suggestion to decrease the limit as 'silly', along with other ideas which were promoted.

Dozens of road safety notions were endorsed thanks to a show of hands in the European Parliament.

MEPS were voting on a report drawn up by centre-right MEP Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, whose resolution on behalf of the Parliament's Transport Committee includes the introduction of 30km speed limits in residential areas and on all one-lane roads in urban areas which have no separate cycle lane, 'with a view to protecting vulnerable road users more effectively'.

The proposed limit equates to 18.6mph and is just one of a raft of recommendations which also include harmonised road traffic rules, road signs, road worthiness tests and blood alcohol limits.

Ironically, Mr Koch is from Germany, the European country which decades ago warned it would never tolerate interference in its right to maintain some motorways with no speed limits at all.


And although today's proposal is only an 'own initiative' report and unlikely to see the light of legislative day, Tory MEP for the North West and transport spokesman Jacqueline Foster said it was 'another example of Europe trying to dictate to Britain on issues that should be decided locally'.

She said: 'Of course speed limits as low as 20mph or so can be right in some very specific areas, especially near schools or nurseries, but every location is different and these decisions need to be made case by case.
'Not by a Europe-wide edict.'

A British road sign declaring 'Speed limit - 18.64mph' would be 'plain silly' she said.



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Jacqueline Foster (left) slammed the uniform motoring proposals as 'plain silly'. Dieter-Lebrecht Koch (right) believes that his recommendations will halves road deaths by 2020



Other ideas among more than 100 from Mr Koch include standardised road signs across the EU, harmonised road worthiness standards for cars, a common drink-driving limit and a standard 'highway code' for all member states.

Mr Koch, whose report is a response to a European Commission discussion paper last year on road safety, says his combined measures could halve road accident deaths by 2020 - and help towards his ultimate target of a 'zero death toll' on Europe's roads.

'The choice of measures and their assessment should be a scientific process, based on comparable, high-quality data, definitions and statistics,' said Mr Koch during the debate on his report.

'We expect a harmonised analysis of the causes of accidents and injuries and an EU-wide exchange of data which respects a high standard of data privacy.'


 
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