Most of Jesmond’s streets will be subject to a new 20mph speed limit in the next three years, as part of a campaign to make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Dubbed ‘Twenty’s Plenty’, the new initiative will use the speed limit as an alternative to more speed bumps and chicanes, which prove unpopular with residents. The new limit will be set outside all local schools, as well on Osborne Road and many residential streets.

Councillor Wendy Taylor – Newcastle City Council’s executive member for environment, sustainability and transport, and a councillor in Jesmond’s Dene ward – told JesmondLocal: “Twenty mph speed limits are being introduced in residential areas across Newcastle over the next three years, particularly near schools, after residents told us how concerned they were about the speed of traffic on the streets where they live.

“Our streets need to be safe for pedestrians and cyclists, especially younger ones, and all the evidence suggests that lower speed limits are a highly effective way of reducing the risks of serious accidents, injuries and even fatalities on our streets without the need to introduce unpopular physical measures.

“The facts speak for themselves. A pedestrian hit at 35 mph has a 50/50 chance of being killed, but if hit at 20 mph the risk of being killed falls to one in 40.”