Environment
Green Party Asks 20 Questions
The DoI was unable to accommodate the £2.9m over three years cost for the work
The Isle of Man Green Party has written to Treasury Minister Dr Alex Allinson asking for further info on the Treasury’s decision not to back rolling out 20mph domestic zones across the island.
As the DoI was unable to accommodate the £2.9m over three years cost for the work, it had to submit a business case to Treasury, which was rejected.
In his written answer to Rob Mercer MLC, Dr Allinson said: ‘The Treasury considered this request for additional funding against all other competing requests and was unable to accommodate the amount with the financial resources available in the budget for the current financial year.’
However, the Green Party wasn’t too happy with that and has highlighted a study published on November 7 which highlighted the material economic benefit in 20mph zones. The study was published by the Transport Research Institute, Part of Edinburgh Napier University, and was commissioned by the Welsh Government.
The study states:“This report estimates the casualty savings of 20mph, in the first year alone, to be around £100M; three times higher than the implementation costs… From casualty reductions alone the saving is clearly a major benefit for society in not having to pay for the multiple costs attendant with road traffic crashes, hospital care and any longer term care, nor the loss of earnings from premature deaths and injuries.”
The Green Party said it applied the model used by the TRI in its paper in analysing the figures for different classifications of accidents resulting in injuries in the Isle of Man which was identified in a 2020 FoI request. The party said: ‘The model indicates an annual saving of £10.2 million from casualty reductions if the speed limit on all roads were reduced to 20mph. The data considered did not allow us to distinguish between (and therefore value) roads that would be re-classified as 20mph on the fulfilment of Tynwald’s resolution and those that would not.’
| Fatalities | Serious | Slight | |
| Crash casualties on all roads in Isle of Man – April 2019 to March 2020 | 3 | 38 | 665 |
| Estimated value of prevention, per casualty, 2020 pricing | 1958303 | 220058 | 16964 |
| Estimated value of prevention, for 30mph speed limits, C=A*B | £5,874,909 | £8,362,204 | £11,281,060 |
| Casualties avoided by introducing 20mph limits – 40% of actual casualties | 1.2 | 15.2 | 266 |
| Estimated value of 20mph limits in Isle of Man April 2019 to March 2020, E=D*B | £2,349,964 | £3,344,882 | £4,512,424 |
| Estimated savings (£M), F=Ekilled+ Eserious + Eslight | £10,207,269 |
The Green Party also said that reducing speed limits to 20mph can significantly reduce carbon emissions, through vehicle drivers driving more efficiently. It added: ‘A recent study from engineering consultants, Futur’e Transport, showed significant and substantial reductions in emissions: CO2 lower by 26% and NOx 28% lower.’
Party leader Andrew Langan-Newton said: ‘Save for the very obvious benefit of the reduction in road traffic fatalities and serious accidents, speed limit reductions are a key initiative to reduce climate-warming CO2 emissions and other harmful gases. It has a significant impact on public health (both physical and mental) through air quality improvements and encouraging active travel.
‘In this respect, it is noteworthy that The Welsh Government is developing its own plan to set a national 20mph limit for urban and village roads by 2023. The Scottish Government has also pledged to make 20mph the norm in Scottish built-up areas by 2025.’
In its letter to Dr Allinson, the party has asked him to clarify if the Treasury has taken into account either of the above factors, when deciding to refuse its approval of the DoI’s implementation costs, as ‘it is not clear in the Minister’s response to Mr Mercer whether this was the case’.
