Lower speed limits of 20mph across Twickenham have been hailed a success, a year after they were introduced.

The limit was applied across the borough in March 2020 in an effort to improve road safety and reduce vehicle speeds on roads with highest rates of non-compliance.

It came into effect on all roads excluding TfL red routes (A316 and A205), as well as parts of the A305, A308 and A310.

Richmond Council carried out speed surveys on seven straight days last year and found a speed reduction of 1mph across all sites surveyed.

There were drops of 3mph on "the top 20 highest speed roads" and up to 8mph on others, Transport and Air Quality Committee chair Councillor Alexander Ehmann said.

Research has shown that a 1mph reduction in average speed equates to a 5% reduction in accidents.

Read more: Safety debate over 20mph speed limit

A petition to return roads to 30mph last year was signed by hundreds of residents and argued 20mph leads to more dangerous and aggressive driving.

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Cllr Ehmann said: "I am delighted that we have delivered on our promise to reduce the speeds on the borough's roads.

"From the outset we were clear, the purpose of the scheme was to get vehicle speeds down closer to 20mph – a move that is recognised as one that can reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities.

"Crucially, this data vindicates our decision to apply the 20mph limit to the borough's major roads, where we've noted speed reductions of as much as 8mph. Those sorts of reductions are game-changing and, likely, life-saving.

"While we have been pleased by the drop in speeds, we won't rest on our laurels. There is still more work to be done to make our roads even more safe over the coming year."

How traffic was monitored

The speed surveys were collected over a period of seven consecutive days last year, and despite less road traffic due to the pandemic, which has resulted in an increase in speeds elsewhere in the country, local drivers were driving closer to the 20mph limit locally. It is therefore likely that when speeds return to normal levels, further reductions in speeds can be expected.

As part of the surveys, traffic speeds on a small number of roads were considered still too high and the council will carry out further assessments to consider what extra measures e.g. signage or additional physical measures, could be used to bring down speeds even further.