THE Road Safety Bill going through Parliament aims to cut fines and penalty points for speeding up to 39mph in 30mph zones.

This is the opposite message to what we should be sending to speeding motorists who put lives at risk, and make our streets dangerous and unpleasant.

Nine miles per hour may not seem much, but between 30 and 39mph, the chances of a pedestrian being killed or seriously injured in a road accident rises from 50 per cent to 85 per cent.

So what justification can there possibly be for reducing the incentive for motorists to keep within the 30mph limit?

Instead, we should reduce the speed limit in most community streets to 20mph. This lower limit has already benefited the parts of York and other cities lucky enough to have it.

Not only are 20mph streets safer for pedestrians, they are more pleasant places to live. They encourage residents, including children and the elderly, to get out and about on foot, and help to bring back a sense of community.

Parliament should be trying to save lives, not putting them at risk.

Mark Gladwin,

Huntington Road, York.

Updated: 11:35 Saturday, February 19, 2005