Is 20mph Limit In Portsmouth Working?

Portsmouth's seen a big jump in the number of serious crashes on it's roads.

Even though it was the first city in the country to have a 20 mile-per-hour speed limits on all residential streets, some now are questioning whether the scheme is working.

Government figures show a 57 per cent rise in people killed or seriously hurt from 2010 to 2011, that's the second biggest increase in the UK.

Overall, the annual number of people killed in road accidents in Britain has increased by three per cent, from 1,850 in 2010 to 1,901 in 2011. This is the first increase since 2003.

The Association of British Drivers claim this shows that the expenditure of over half a million pounds of taxpayers money on the scheme was a total waste of money and that those who promote the Portsmouth scheme as a success are seriously misleading the general public.

Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive Simon Best said: “It is concerning that road deaths and serious injuries rose last year. Road accidents usually drop during an economic recession, so this rise after continuous reductions over the last ten years, is particularly concerning.

“Ministers should take this as a serious warning."