IN RESPONSE to the Soapbox letter of December 4, I welcome debate on 20mph limits without humps (not zones which do have traffic calming).

We can compare impacts as though it were a fall from a tower block. Assume a storey is three metres: being hit at 20mph is like falling from between the first and the second floor.

At 30mph it is the third floor, 40mph is between the fifth and sixth floor and 50mph is the ninth floor. You are seven times more likely to survive a 20mph crash than 30mph as a walker or cyclist.

A ward meeting is where everyone can have their say and be listened to. Debate was lively and comments were noted. The York 20mph policy aims to make York safer and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

Regarding salt to make pavements safe, please be reassured that all the highways salt bins are filled and ward committee saltbins will be in the event of severe weather. The argument for 20mph is that it is safer, quieter, less polluting and makes streets better places to be.

In Bristol, support from residents for a maximum speed limit on their own street of 20mph rose after implementation from 73 per cent to 88 per cent.

Coun Anna Semlyen, Grange Street, York.