Green Party councillors are urging Trafford Council to introduce widespread 20mph speed limits across residential areas, claiming the authority's current approach is leaving most residents facing dangerous traffic conditions.
Altrincham councillor Michael Welton, who is proposing a motion on the issue at a council meeting tomorrow, accused the Labour-run council of ignoring residents' concerns.
He said council documents show 107 requests for 20mph zones have been submitted in recent years, but only four have been acted upon. Speed limits are also the most common subject of petitions from local residents, he added.
The push comes as figures reveal 44 people were killed on Trafford's roads between 2015 and 2024, with a further 507 seriously injured during the same period.
Cllr Welton said: "20mph limits are proven to save lives and residents want them where they live. This is the simplest, most affordable and most popular way of saving lives on our roads.
"We know that 20mph limits bring down insurance premiums. In a cost of living crisis, this is a way that every driver can save too. It's time for the Labour council to listen to residents and put safety first."
The Green Party has pointed to results from Wales, where widespread 20mph limits were introduced last year. In the first 12 months, serious injuries and deaths fell by 100, with collisions on affected roads down 28 per cent.
Rod King, founder of campaign group 20's Plenty for Us, said Trafford has a higher proportion of 30mph urban roads than any other Greater Manchester borough, with 85 per cent at that limit compared to just 11 per cent at 20mph.
He said there were 176 casualties on Trafford's 30mph roads in 2024 alone, representing an estimated cost of £22m according to Department for Transport calculations.
King added that implementing 20mph as standard across the borough would cost approximately £2.4m but could pay for itself within months through reduced casualty and insurance costs.
This is not the first time local Greens have pressed the council on road safety.
In September 2020, they brought a similar motion which was amended by the ruling Labour group, and in October 2022 they pushed for Trafford to adopt Vision Zero - a strategy to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on local roads.
