Hundreds of streets in north-west Croydon now have 20mph speed limits as part of council plans to improve road safety across the borough.

As of today (Monday 6 November), all roads in north-west Croydon now have 20mph speed limits aside from Transport for London red routes, private roads and several Croydon A-roads given exemptions that remain at 30mph. This area of north-west Croydon covers all roads bounded by the borough border with Sutton in the west, Duppas Hill Road, Coombe Road and Lower Coombe Street to the south, and, to the east, the main roads from Park Lane, up Wellesley Road and streets west of the A23 London Road as far as Norbury station.

In 2015 the council divided the borough into five areas and began the process of introducing 20mph. Area 1 in the north of the borough went live in September 2016, and Area 2 (north-east of the borough) went live in March. Now that Area 3 is in place, the two remaining areas – in the south-east and south-west of the borough – will go live by May 2018.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, introducing 20mph limits reduces vehicle speeds and cuts the risk of being injured or killed in an accident. Other London councils, including Islington and Southwark, have already introduced borough-wide 20mph schemes.

The roads included in the new changes all have 20mph signs, and drivers caught speeding by police can expect fines, points on their licence or even prosecution. On several roads where 20mph has already been implemented, the council has installed number plate recognition speed visors. These record drivers’ speeds, and relevant data is passed to the Metropolitan Police. If speeding remains an issue, options could include traffic calming measures as well as police enforcement.

“Slower speeds keep our residents safer on Croydon’s roads and also improve the local environment.  I’m really pleased that we are now more than halfway towards our goal of introducing 20mph limits in all of our residential roads right across the borough.”

Councillor Stuart King, cabinet member for transport and environment

For more information and to view a map of the streets in Area 3 now covered by a 20mph limit, visit the council website.