A SOLICITOR who specialises in road offences says councils must be more selective on where 20mph zones are implemented.

Jeremy Sirrell, a partner at Palmers Solicitors which has offices in Basildon, Rayleigh, Thurrock and South Woodham Ferrers, was speaking after a study commissioned by the Government found that 20mph speed limits have not significantly reduced collisions and casualties in residential areas.

Since 2013, some local authorities have imposed blanket 20mph limits across wide areas of the road network.

Jeremy Sirrell said: “A 20mph speed limit can be an effective way to alert drivers to a particular hazard, such as a school, and to encourage them to slow down and take extra care.”

“Imposing 20mph speed limits on a blanket basis dilutes this power and means that particular hazards or places where drivers need to slow down no longer stand out.

“The police cannot feasibly enforce 20mph speed limits over such a wide area and they can seem unnecessary to drivers, so I am not surprised that the policy has had little effect on casualties and collisions.”

“I would urge local authorities to take a nuanced and intelligent approach to their use of 20mph speed limits, which hopefully might lead to a real reduction in collisions and casualties.”