The founder of a campaign to introduce 20mph limits in built-up areas said it was time councillors realised ‘change was in the air’ with regard to how the public wanted roads and streets to be shared with traffic.

Rod King MBE, Founder and Campaign Director, for 20’s Plenty for Us, was speaking following a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council Thirsk and Malton Constituency Committee on Friday which voted against following its Harrogate and Selby counterparts in recommending a trial of default 20mph zones in built-up areas.

Despite approving a revised 20mph policy last year, as a result of the previous recommendations, the council has launched a extensive review over the issue

Mr King said: “Given the make-up of the area committee then the outcome was fairly predictable. Change is “in the air” in North Yorkshire with regard to how communities want the public spaces between buildings that we call streets to be shared.

“Politicians should be focused on how they can deliver the conditions for better liveability and healthy streets that communities want. It’s the difference between a “can do” authority and a “make do” authority. Twenty six million people in UK live in places where their local or national authority have said they “can do” and use 20mph limits as a foundation for travel choice, active travel and better communities for our future generations.

Rod, who founded 20’s Plenty for Us in 2007 and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for Services to Road Safety, said: “Times have changed and the public won’t put up with bluster and accusations to defend endorsing speeds of 30mph that are no longer acceptable for most urban and residential streets.”

At a meeting of the constituency committee in Malton, several members of 20s Plenty unfurled a length of paper stretching three-quarters of the way around the council chamber to illustrate the different stopping distances between vehicles at 30mph and 20mph.

Campaigner Ian Conlan told the committee by reducing the default speed limit for built-up areas to 20mph, it would lead to 65 people not being hit by a vehicle in North Yorkshire annually.

Proposing the motion, Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, who was elected as member of the Hunmanby and Sherburn division last May, said: “Since I’ve been a member of this authority the most common theme across every village I represent is the concern around speeding.”

She said it was clear that some 30mph limits were not appropriate.

Cllr Donohue-Moncrieff said: “This is not an anti-car motion. This is how do we manage or negotiate all road users to access our towns and move around the county in general.”

Amotherby and Ampleforth division councillor Steve Mason added: “Every single village I have spoken to is calling for action on speeding and most of them want a 20mph limit in their village, who we are not listening to as far as I can see.”

However, the meeting heard other councillors support the council’s ongoing review of urban speed limits and question whether 20mph limits were arbitrary, with suggestions that 40mph might be more appropriate in some areas and no vehicles whatsoever in others.

Other members said while the safety of residents was paramount, introducing default 20mph limits would not be universally popular.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the authority’s executive member for highways and transport, said “quite grand claims” had been made about the level of public support for 20s Plenty and that no county council committee had voted to pursue “a one-size-fits-all” approach.

He said it was also important to recognise the diverse nature of North Yorkshire.

The executive member added he recognised the concerns being raised over vehicle speeds in built-up areas and that all 90 elected members of the authority would be invited to share their opinions as part of the authority’s review.

Cllr Duncan said while 20s Plenty wanted him to conclude the road safety review ahead of the budget being set so £1m could be put aside for a 20mph trial, he was not going to be rushed into agreeing “one defined outcome that has been put forward by one pressure group”.