The road safety charity Brake has called for more 20mph speed limits after a survey revealed that two in three commuters believe most roads are unfit for cycling.
1,550 commuters were polled and 35% claimed that they would consider cycling to work if the roads were less dangerous. 47% of those polled claimed that they already cycle on the roads but only 10% use their bike as their main mode of transport when commuting.
This has led to calls for widespread 20mph speed limits, an idea already being considered by Brighton and Hove council. 73% of those surveyed would back a blanket 20mph speed limit for built-up areas and 83% would support the introduction of new cycle lanes.
The government has already announced that it will invest £15 million in building new cycle routes and is reviewing its guidance for local authorities on setting speed limits.
If the government does give local authorities the power to set local speed limits, we could be seeing a lot more 20mph limits. This is good news for cyclists but is likely to draw criticism from the motoring lobby.
