You can never be too careful

WORK to introduce 20mph speed limits to more than 200 roads in Burnley will begin next week. 

County highway chiefs have launched the speedbusting drive   in the south-west of the town as part of a pilot scheme to prevent casualties in built-up Lancashire areas. 

Because of course the war on motorists has ended so this is purely about saving lives. As anyone who has driven around the built up areas of Burnley knows, you risk your life just going to the shop for a bottle of milk, it's that dangerous.

Fifty accidents involving vehicles have been reported in the area since January 2005, leaving 56 victims requiring medical help.

Fifty accidents since 2005? OMG, what did I tell you?
Anything about the kiddies in there?

These included 17 children who were involved in accidents, either as pedestrians or cyclists.

Phew!
I'm going to try some crude maths after a few scoops on a Friday night. Here goes. Fifty accidents in the past 6 years. That's one accident every 6.24 weeks. Over 200 streets means there was 0.0132 accidents per street since 2005. Which means each and every street is suffering....................0.27 accidents per year.
If we round this down to the nearest digit, that's no accidents, per street, per year.
If my figures sound a bit off, that may be because I learnt how to work out statistics from ASH Scotland.

The speed limit will come into forced once all the signs have been erected, and motorists are being warned they risk fines and penalty points if they don’t stick to it.

Ahh. Maybe it's not about saving lives after all. The councils round here are a bit strapped for cash at the moment.
How else can they afford to fund stuff to do for all those bored yuvves

County councillor Tim Ashton, highways and transport cabinet member, said: “Reducing the numbers of people killed and injured on our roads is a real priority.

Maybe it would be if the roads were carnage, but they're not are they. Maybe your real priority is justifying your own job and pension.

“We’re testing a 20mph limit to encourage drivers to reduce their speed, which should make these streets safer and improve everyone’s quality of life.

Encourage, for the less wanting of grey matter, means enforce with fines.

“I’ve long advocated 20mph speed limits in residential areas.
“South West Burnley is one of three trial areas in the county and will provide valuable information about the best way to introduce 20mph residential areas elsewhere.”

Not information about weather or not it works. They have decided to do it anyway. They just want to figure out how to make the drivers shut up and hopefully pay up.

Smaller repeater signs will be erected around the district in advance of enforcement beginning early in 2010.(Do you mean 2011?)
The effectiveness of the measures will be monitored for three months and reported back to county councillors.
Other zones have been created in Morecambe and Preston and more could be introduced in other lancashire towns if the schemes prove successful.

 I assume being successful is about the amount of money it generates. Deaths from skydiving accidents have been higher, year on year, than the entire figure of fifty you have quoted for the past six.
But you can't issue fines for that, can you.

How much? I was only doing freefall speed!