THERE is an irony one could point to in Southampton City Council ditching plans to introduce 20mph speed limits throughout the city.

After a trial in the Maybush area of the city it has been decided the reduction in speed limits makes little actual difference to travelling times and the reaction of motorists.

Some might say that there is little need to reduce speed limits officially throughout Southampton as roadworks and delays have made easy travel through the city streets something of a distant memory anyway.

Yet this is, of course, not the point. By reducing the speed limit it is hoped to save lives and reduce pollution.

Strangely, residents in the areas where the pilot was staged did not feel the reduction to 20mph made any real difference to their lives.

Yet they did, by a substantial majority, wish to see the limit imposed elsewhere in the city.

At the heart of the debate lies the challenge all cities and towns face – how to keep the traffic moving and the pedestrian population safe at the same time.

Lowering speeds does not seem to be the answer. Changing attitudes may well be a better route to take.