For over a week, all roads in Tower Hamlets have been designated as having a 20mph speed limit – except the red routes which run through the borough. However, putting up the new speed limit signs and marking up the roads will take up to six weeks. Once this is done, the Council will run an awareness campaign about the new limit.
The new limit was introduced to improve safety in the borough: reducing the speed of cars reduces the number of accidents and the severity of injuries in those which do occur; and a lower limit encourages more people to abandon their cars and travel by bike or on foot.
Commercial Street, which is under the control of Transport for London rather than the Council, has also had a 20mph limit introduced.
It is not clear whether fading road markings across the borough will be refreshed when the speed limit road markings are done.