NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
Headline
This study found that speed limit interventions that use signs and lines plus education and promotion can reduce casualties, and have significant public support and compliance once implemented.
Abstract
Background:
Transport initiatives such as 20-mph (≈30-km/h) speed limits are anticipated to result in fewer road casualties and improve perceptions of safety, leading to increases in active travel. Lower speeds may also lead to more pleasant environments in which to live, work and play.
Objectives:
The main objective was to evaluate and understand the processes and effects of developing and implementing 20-mph speed limits in Edinburgh and Belfast. The focus was on health-related outcomes (casualties and active travel) that may lead to public health improvements. An additional objective was to investigate the political and policy factors (conditions) that led to the decision to introduce the new speed limits.
Design:
This was a mixed-methods study that comprised an outcome, process, policy and economic evaluation of two natural experiments.
Setting:
The study was set in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, from 2000 to 2018.
Participants:
The whole population of each city were participants, as well as stakeholders involved in implementation and decision-making processes.
Intervention:
The intervention was the implementation of 20-mph legislation, signage, enforcement, and education and awareness-raising in Edinburgh (citywide) and Belfast (city centre).
Main outcome measures:
The main outcomes measured were speed; number, type and severity of road collisions; perceptions; and liveability.
Data sources:
The following data sources were used – routinely and locally collected quantitative data for speed, volume of traffic, casualties and collisions, and costs; documents and print media; surveys; interviews and focus groups; and Google Street View (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA).
Results:
Collisions and casualties – the overall percentage reduction in casualty rates was 39% (the overall percentage reduction in collision rates was 40%) in Edinburgh. The percentage reduction for each level of severity was 23% for fatal casualties, 33% for serious casualties and 37% for minor casualties. In Belfast there was a 2% reduction in casualties, reflecting differences in the size, reach and implementation of the two schemes. Perceptions – in Edinburgh there was an increase in two factors (support for 20 mph and rule-following after implementation) supported by the qualitative data. Liveability – for both cities, there was a small statistical increase in liveability. Speed – mean and median speeds reduced by 1.34 mph and 0.47 mph, respectively, at 12 months in Edinburgh, with no statistically significant changes in Belfast. History, political context, local policy goals, local priorities and leadership influenced decision-making and implementation in the two cities.
Limitations:
There was no analysis of active travel outcomes because the available data were not suitable.
Conclusions:
The pre-implementation period is important. It helps frame public and political attitudes. The scale of implementation and additional activities in the two cities had a bearing on the impacts. The citywide approach adopted by Edinburgh was effective in reducing speeds and positively affected a range of public health outcomes. The city-centre approach in Belfast (where speeds were already low) was less effective. However, the main outcome of these schemes was a reduction in road casualties at all levels of severity.
Future work:
Future work should develop a statistical approach to public health interventions that incorporates variables from multiple outcomes. In this study, each outcome was analysed independently of each other. Furthermore, population measures of active travel that can be administered simply, inexpensively and at scale should be developed.
Study registration:
This study is registered as ISRCTN10200526.
Contents
- Plain English summary
- Scientific summary
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- Chapter 2. How did 20 mph become a reality in Edinburgh and Belfast?
- Chapter 3. Understanding barriers to and facilitators of successful implementation in Edinburgh and Belfast
- Chapter 4. Quantitative evaluation of the impacts of the Edinburgh and Belfast 20-mph speed limit schemes
- Chapter 5. Qualitative exploration of the outcomes of the 20-mph implementation in both studies
- Chapter 6. Economic evaluation
- Chapter 7. Discussion and conclusions
- Introduction
- Principal findings
- Strengths and limitations of the study approach
- Methodological strengths and limitations
- The programme theory
- Maximising the impact of the findings: dissemination
- Implications for policy and practice
- Implications for decision-makers
- Recommendations for future research
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Appendix 1. Explanation of each factor on the programme model
- Appendix 2. Examples of print media
- Appendix 3. Characteristics of focus group participants
- Appendix 4. Topic guide for stakeholder interviews: Edinburgh
- Appendix 5. Topic guide for stakeholder interviews: Belfast
- Appendix 6. Topic guide for focus group interviews
- Appendix 7. Speed Limits Perceptions Survey
- Appendix 8. Perception survey data collection dates and location type
- Appendix 9. Participant perceptions at each time point and changes
- Appendix 10. Polychoric correlation matrix
- Appendix 11. Demographic characteristics of the study sample
- Appendix 12. Perception factors for 20-mph speed limit: characteristics and description
- Glossary
- List of abbreviations
About the Series
Declared competing interests of authors: Ruth Hunter is a member of the Public Health Research (PHR) Funding Board. Frank Kee is a co-investigator on the Game of Stones trial (PHR 14/185/09 and NIHR129703), the Supporting MumS trial (NIHR131509), the Global Health LINKS Research Group (NIHR 16/137/85) and Improving the Oral Health of Older People in Care Homes: a Feasibility Study (TOPIC) (NIHR 17/03/11). He is a principal investigator of the MECHANISMS study (MR/RO11176/1) and the Healthy Urban Living and Ageing in Place (HULAP) study (GCRF-GIAA18-19). Furthermore, he is a member of the following panels: Medical Research Council (MRC) Public Health Intervention Development (PHIND) Funding Panel (2013–18); MRC Better Methods, Better Research Panel (2020–present); MRC Non-clinical Fellowship Panel (2020–present); UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship Panel (2020–present); Agile COVID Panel (2020–21); Policy Research Unit Commissioning Panel (2016 and 2018); Long COVID Panel (2021); ADD (‘Our Future Health’ study) Advisory Board (2020–present); School of Public Health Advisory Board (2018–present); MRC Longitudinal Studies Funding Panel; and Methods Advisory Group. He was also a member of the PHR Funding Board (2009–13; chairperson 2014–19). Michael P Kelly received grants from the Wellcome Trust, The Dunhill Medical Trust, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Marie Curie, and received NIHR and AHRC consultancy fees. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board Systems Science In Public Health Economic Research (SIPHER), University of Sheffield. Andrew James Williams received a grant from Sustrans/Transport for Scotland for £15,255 to conduct a systematic review into the association between modes of travel and loneliness/social isolation (McHale C, Williams A, Cormie V. Systematic review of research investigating the relationship between social disconnection and transportation activities. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021232445 URL: www
Article history
The research reported in this issue of the journal was funded by the PHR programme as project number 15/82/12. The contractual start date was in March 2017. The final report began editorial review in March 2021 and was accepted for publication in February 2022. The authors have been wholly responsible for all data collection, analysis and interpretation, and for writing up their work. The PHR editors and production house have tried to ensure the accuracy of the authors’ report and would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive comments on the final report document. However, they do not accept liability for damages or losses arising from material published in this report.
Disclaimer
This report contains transcripts of interviews conducted in the course of the research and contains language that may offend some readers.
Last reviewed: March 2021; Accepted: February 2022.
- NLM CatalogRelated NLM Catalog Entries
- Evaluating the citywide Edinburgh 20mph speed limit intervention effects on traffic speed and volume: A pre-post observational evaluation.[PLoS One. 2021]Evaluating the citywide Edinburgh 20mph speed limit intervention effects on traffic speed and volume: A pre-post observational evaluation.Nightingale GF, Williams AJ, Hunter RF, Woodcock J, Turner K, Cleland CL, Baker G, Kelly M, Cope A, Kee F, et al. PLoS One. 2021; 16(12):e0261383. Epub 2021 Dec 31.
- Investigating the impact of a 20 miles per hour speed limit intervention on road traffic collisions, casualties, speed and volume in Belfast, UK: 3 year follow-up outcomes of a natural experiment.[J Epidemiol Community Health. ...]Investigating the impact of a 20 miles per hour speed limit intervention on road traffic collisions, casualties, speed and volume in Belfast, UK: 3 year follow-up outcomes of a natural experiment.Hunter RF, Cleland CL, Busby J, Nightingale G, Kee F, Williams AJ, Kelly P, Kelly MP, Milton K, Kokka K, et al. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2022 Nov 15; 77(1):17-25. Epub 2022 Nov 15.
- Use of natural experimental studies to evaluate 20mph speed limits in two major UK cities.[J Transp Health. 2021]Use of natural experimental studies to evaluate 20mph speed limits in two major UK cities.Milton K, Kelly MP, Baker G, Cleland C, Cope A, Craig N, Foster C, Hunter R, Kee F, Kelly P, et al. J Transp Health. 2021 Sep; 22:101141.
- Review A loyalty scheme to encourage physical activity in office workers: a cluster RCT[ 2019]Review A loyalty scheme to encourage physical activity in office workers: a cluster RCTHunter RF, Gough A, Murray JM, Tang J, Brennan SF, Chrzanowski-Smith OJ, Carlin A, Patterson C, Longo A, Hutchinson G, et al. 2019 Aug
- Review A school-based intervention (‘Girls Active’) to increase physical activity levels among 11- to 14-year-old girls: cluster RCT[ 2019]Review A school-based intervention (‘Girls Active’) to increase physical activity levels among 11- to 14-year-old girls: cluster RCTHarrington DM, Davies MJ, Bodicoat D, Charles JM, Chudasama YV, Gorely T, Khunti K, Rowlands AV, Sherar LB, Tudor-Edwards R, et al. 2019 Feb
- Developing and implementing 20-mph speed limits in Edinburgh and Belfast: mixed-...Developing and implementing 20-mph speed limits in Edinburgh and Belfast: mixed-methods study
Your browsing activity is empty.
Activity recording is turned off.
See more...