ACCORDING to Edinburgh City Council you are seven times more likely to survive if you are hit by a car driving at 20mph, than if you are hit at 30mph.

This is backed up by high-quality science published by the World Health Organisation.

20mph is not an arbitrary value selected by a wet finger stuck in the air. At 30kph (about 19mph) there is a significant change in the chances of death and serious injury. Above 20mph the chances of death go up and below 20mph there is not much change so not much to be gained by going for a lower speed limit than 20mph.

It is up to the residents of Ludlow to decide whether they want a high risk of death and injury or a low risk.

Data for Ludlow on death and injury is not available for Ludlow but in the year 2014 there were 140 “killed and serious injuries” in Shropshire and 20mph will reduce this number.

In Blackburn and Darwen, the Director of Public Health calculated that there would be in excess of 600 fewer road traffic accidents each year if all roads were 20mph.

There are always going to be worries about conformity with 20mph limits and police enforcement. But, again, there is strong evidence to show that 70% of drivers support 20mph and that the limits are working well in all areas that have already implemented the 20mph limit and now cover about 14 million people in England.

The general 20mph limit in Lancashire was introduced by a Conservative council and is supported by the police and the Director of Public Health.

The former Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, Bill Longmore, supported 20mph limits as does the Director of Public Health for Shropshire.