The Tory mayoral frontrunner has sparked a row over road safetyafter pledging to lift 20mph speed limits on main roads in central London.
Susan Hall vowed to axe traffic measures introduced by Sadiq Khan, such as the 20mph limit on main “Red Route” thoroughfares such as Finchley Road, which she believes have unfairly penalised Londoners who need to use a car.
But Seb Dance, Mr Khan’s deputy mayor for transport, warned such a move would not speed up journey times and could be dangerous.
He said: “City streets are not motorways, they are shared spaces. They are shared with other road users such as cyclists [and] pedestrians
“All of the research shows that the average speed in cities is well below 20mph, so you’re not going to get to your destination any [faster]. But the chances of being killed if you are struck by a vehicle at 20mph is significantly less than if you’re struck at 30mph.”
Ms Hall, a London Assembly who is competing against criminal barrister Moz Hossain KC, for the Tory nomination following the withdrawal of Dan Korski, also promised to use her “best endeavours” to axe low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and said she would not introduce “pay per mile” road charging.
In an interview with the Evening Standard, she set out a range of policy ideas, which she insisted would be “fully costed” and deliverable.
Transport for London aims to convert almost 90 miles of main roads to 20mph by next May to improve road safety.
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