YORK residents have voted in favour of implementing 20mph speed restrictions on city streets.

City of York Council’s consultation received 1,132 responses when they were asked to choose between keeping the existing system, implementing 20mph limits on all residential roads and 20mph limits on all roads, including arterial routes inside the outer ring road.

In total, 459 people supported 20mph limits to all routes within the outer ring road, 401 people supported 20mph limits in residential areas only and 272 people supported the existing system.

However, the consultation makes a distinction between residents filling out original forms and photocopied forms which were collected by campaign groups, councillors canvassing and public meetings, in the majority, from the 20’s Plenty for Us group.

The council received 540 original forms back, with 262 supporting the existing policy, 140 supporting restrictions in residential areas and 105 supporting a blanket 20mph speed limit in the city.

A further 627 photocopied forms were received with 354 supporting the blanket restriction, 261 supporting a residential vote and just ten supporting the current system.

Transport chief Coun Steve Galloway said residents have until close of play on Friday, to make their views known before the issue is discussed at Tuesday’s city strategy meeting.

He said the results of the trial of a 20mph zone covering the South Bank, which will start shortly, would also influence future changes to council policy. Coun Galloway said local Liberal Democrat policy on the issue was to apply the most appropriate speed limit to individual roads based on their characteristics and accident record.

He said: “Most serious accidents involving pedestrians occur within the walls of the city, while those involving vehicles tend to occur on the major and trunk roads which surround the city. Our view is that we should concentrate our attention, limited financial resources and speed limit enforcement activities into those areas which have the greatest accident risk.”

Anna Semlyen, York’s 20’s Plenty for Us campaign manager, urged residents who want 20mph residential limits to write in before the meeting.

She said: “20s Plenty for York are still hoping that Coun Galloway will listen to the people of York, who have clearly said they want safer streets.”

Coun Galloway said no decision would be made on Tuesday. “If there are those who wish to pursue the idea of having a city-wide 20 mph limit, then they must propose, when the council discusses its budget, an allocation of upwards of £1 million to cover implementation costs.

As much of the budget for next year is already committed to schemes such as improvements to the Fishergate gyratory, in practical terms, it would be 2012/13 before any such scheme could be pursued.”