Cirencester and Preston – Safer Roads and Community 20s

Cirencester, Preston and Siddington are the first proposed locations for Gloucestershire County Council’s Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative, which aims to improve road safety and public health by reducing vehicle speeds where people are most at risk.

The initiative focuses on areas with a history of road safety concerns, evidence of casualties, and strong community support for change. By combining local insight with data‑led analysis, the initiative seeks to deliver targeted and effective speed management that reduces serious injuries and fatalities on Gloucestershire’s roads.

As part of this, we consider that 20mph should be the accepted speed for drivers in places where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix. This should apply to urban and rural residential streets, and town and village centres, except on main roads where speeds must be both safe and appropriate.

The initiative also looks to introduce further speed reductions on major and rural roads to support the transition to 20mph and further improve safety for drivers and individuals travelling actively.

Proposals

Cirencester, Preston and Siddington are being brought forward within the first tranche of proposed locations within the Safer Roads and Community 20s initiative, because they scored highly in the prioritisation exercise. This exercise took into account local road safety and public health challenges, as well as expressions of interest from local authority representatives. Cirencester Town Council, Preston Parish Council, and Siddington Parish Council submitted an expression of interest for the delivery of the initiative.

The Cirencester, Preston, and Siddington proposals aim to create a safer and more consistent speed environment across Cirencester Town Centre and surrounding villages, including Preston, Siddington and Stratton.

Specific proposals for roads around Cirencester, Preston and Siddington can be viewed on the interactive map.

The proposals look to introduce 20mph speed reductions for the vast majority of urban and residential village roads, with Safer Roads speed reductions proposed for the major roads to ease the transition to 20mph speeds.

In some instances, the proposals look to retain 30mph and 40mph speed limits, where these speed limits are working.

Why are lower speed limits needed in Cirencester, Preston and Siddington?

Over the last five years, there have been 127 recorded road casualties in and around Cirencester, with 30% resulting in death or serious injury. Casualty numbers are increasing, highlighting the need for action to make our roads safer for everyone.

Many of these collisions happen on higher‑speed roads, with over half occurring on A‑class roads and the majority taking place on roads signed at 30mph or 60mph and above. Higher speeds increase both the likelihood of a collision and the severity of injuries when one occurs, particularly in built‑up areas where people live and work.

People who are not protected by a vehicle are most at risk. Across the wider Cirencester area, 35% of casualties are vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Within the ring road, this rises to 68%, with pedestrians making up the majority of those injured. This shows that many casualties occur on streets that people rely on for everyday journeys, such as walking to shops, schools and local services.

In order to create safer roads, there is a need to reduce risk where people and traffic mix. Lower vehicle speeds can reduce the severity of collisions and give drivers more time to react. Safer Roads and 20mph measures are designed to help protect vulnerable road users, reduce serious injuries, and make streets feel safer and more welcoming for walking, wheeling, cycling and everyday life in Cirencester and Preston.

Get involved and have your say

We are seeking your views on our proposals for speed reductions in Cirencester, Preston and Siddington.

If you would like to comment on our proposals, please leave comments on the interactive map.

You can also complete this survey, to provide your comments on aspects of the proposals.

The survey and mapping tool will close at midnight on Monday 11 May.

If you would like to discuss the proposals with members of the project team, you can attend one of the following events: