Shrewsbury car v bike challenge points way to wider speed controls
What started out as a fun challenge between a bike and a car to see which could negotiate the congested streets of Shrewsbury the quickest may have inadvertently strengthened the case for tighter speed limits in the town centre.
Coach Ed Beech of the Shrewsbury Triathlon Club rode a state-of-the-art 2015 Cervelo bike for his side of the challenge, while car sales executive Debbie Cox was at the wheel of the latest model Honda Civic Type R.
Yet despite the advanced technology neither could complete the 4.2-mile course at an average speed reaching even the 20 miles per hour some campaigners would like to see as a blanket limit across the town, suggesting that such a limit would be none-too-onerous in any event.
It was reported in May this year that 200 people had signed a petition calling for a reduction of the current 30mph limit across the river on New Street between Frankwell and Porthill.
Information published by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in June of this year stressed the benefits of reducing speeds in urban areas.
“Speed significantly increases the chance of being injured in a collision. Research has shown that the risk of death for pedestrians struck by cars increases at higher impacts speeds, although the exact risk levels varied…”
RoSPA also highlighted figures they called ‘the most reliable modern estimates’ from Erik Rosén and Ulrich Sander in their publication 'Pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed Accident Analysis & Prevention Volume 41, Issue 3, May 2009', which claimed that there was a 1.5 per cent chance of a pedestrian fatality in a collision at 20mph versus an 8 per cent chance at 30mph.
Ironically it was the bike that completed the distance the quicker and it was the same congestion that scuppered the driver’s effort that benefited the biker.
Said Ed: “I was praying for heavy traffic and getting lucky on the traffic lights, which I did.”
Debbie added: “It was so frustrating getting stuck at the lights on Smithfield Road. I was hoping to wave to Ed as I drove past him but he made it to the finish line and waved me in!”
Starting out by the Market Hall in The Square, the course took the two on a loop of the town centre which included High Street, Shoplatch, Barker Street and Bridge Street twice, including a climb up Castle Street and onto St Mary’s Street.
They headed out of town along Castle Gates, through Ditherington, Heathgates Roundabout, Whitchurch Road and Battlefield Road before finishing at JT Hughes’ Honda showroom.
One of the strict requirements was that each had to keep to the speed limit, but in truth they were rarely in danger of breaking it. Ed finished in 16min 39sec at an average speed of just over 15mph and Debbie in 18min 16sec at an average speed of just under 14mph.
