CALLS to introduce new speed limits in towns and villages across East Sussex have failed to win the backing of a senior county councillor.

At a meeting on Monday (June 21), East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport Clare Dowling considered a motion calling for a 20mph ‘default speed limit’ on all urban and village roads within the county.

While a final decision is not to be made until a full council debate next month, Cllr Dowling opted not to give her support to the motion in light of advice from officers that the authority did not have the resources to introduce such a limit. 

However, this advice was disputed by the motion’s co-signer Cllr Kathryn Field (Lib Dem), who argued the benefits would outweigh this cost. She said: “We have a climate emergency. We have declared a target to reduce our emissions and one way to reduce our emissions is to get cars off the road.

“We know, from evidence in other places, that if the speed limits are reduced there are fewer cars on the road, simply because people feel safe to walk and to cycle.”

She added: “This will enhance communities, enhance people’s quality of life and improve their mental health. It isn’t just about the county council’s budget, it is about the much wider budget we all contribute to over the whole course of government. 

“That is why I think the time has come now, in concert with our climate change work, to take a hard look at how we do things on our roads. The key thing is calming them down and making good solid communities.”

Similar views were shared by a number of other councillors present at the meeting, including Green Party group leader Johnny Denis.

Cllr Denis said: “[The report] goes into a lot of detail, but it is detail about why the council doesn’t have the resources and all about prioritisation of the schemes that go ahead.

“But what the motion is about is changing policy. It doesn’t mean all roads have to be changed forthwith, it would mean this would be the policy of the county council to allow other schemes to come ahead and be implemented, not just based on the prioritisation process which is about rationing resources.”

He added: “The county council is the brake in this. We’ve got the international community, we’ve got the World Health Organisation, we’ve got government guidelines [supporting 20mph limits], Sussex Police are now on board since many other police forces across the country see this as the future for all developed areas. 

“So it seems that despite our community safety partnerships all wanting safer roads, despite the broader community safety community, it is East Sussex [County Council] policy which is actually preventing changes happening.”

Several other councillors also argued in favour of the motion, with several speaking about the benefits of lower speeds encouraging residents to use alternative transport, such as walking and cycling. 

This saw some argument from Cllr Dowling, however, who highlighted several county council programmes to encourage walking and cycling.

Cllr Dowling said: “As a council we look holistically, we are looking across the board. I am slightly surprised that none of you have actually mentioned the fact we are already looking at walking and cycling and have been for some time.

“We’ve got the local cycling and walking infrastructure plan, which went out to consultation and we had a huge number of responses from across the county. Those responses are being analysed to take us to the next stage.

“We will be working on the Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4), starting later this year and again we are looking at the road. The road is for everyone and it is about finding a balance of walking, cycling and cars.

“Listening to all points that were put forward. Listening to the responses that [officers] made, I am minded to reject the motion.”

While Cllr Dowling declined to support the motion, she amended the written response which is to be considered at the full council debate.

This amended response noted that the county council’s policy is in line with government guidance, but also went on to say the council would continue to consider (and support where appropriate) individual requests for 20mph speed limits.

A final decision on the motion will not be made until following a full council debate on July 9.