Rod King, founder of “20’s Plenty for Us”, received his MBE from Her Majesty the Queen.

Rod King, the founder of “20’s Plenty for Us”, received his MBE from the Queen at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 28^th November 2013.

Her Majesty The Queen bestowed the MBE title over King for his “Services to Road Safety”.

The UK honours system recognises people who have made achievements in public life and committed themselves to serving and helping Britain. They’ll usually have made life better for other people or be outstanding at what they do. Rod King is now Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Rod, who has been working for road safety for many years, says that his success is mainly due to the great campaigners and that a main inspiration for his activities on the 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limit has been a visit to the German town Hilden.

Rod King, founder of “20’s Plenty for Us”, received his MBE from Her Majesty the Queen. Photo (C) 20's Plenty for Us

Inspired from the Germans

It was in 2004 when he visited the German twin town of his own home in Warrington and realised that the foundation of their successful walking and cycling strategies was a decision made in 1990 to adopt a 30km/h speed limit for most streets. With 23% of in town trips made by bicycle and promotion of public transport this had led not only to a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists but one with 40 fewer cars per 100 people travelling than in Warrington.

This transformed his opinion on road safety as he realised that in the UK they were inadequately trying to protect cyclists (and pedestrians) within a road environment where  vehicle speeds were so high. So he launched a personal campaign both within Warrington and nationally to ask for 20mph limits on most residential streets.

Setting up the charity

In 2007 he set up “20’s Plenty for Us”, a voluntary organisation to support UK communities wanting lower speeds in residential areas (20 mph – 30 kph). The organization has been a huge success in making the case for the benefits of lower speeds and now has 216 local campaigns.

“To be honoured with an MBE for ‘Services to Road Safety’ is significant not only as recognition of my personal efforts but also of the enormous progress which has been made in establishing lower speeds as the norm on community roads” – said King. “We are moving from a past tradition of accepting that motor vehicles could dominate where people lived, worked and shopped into one where we share the streets more equitably and enable people to choose to walk or cycle without fear of fast traffic. It really is time for 20 mph”.

To learn more about 20’s Plenty for us, visit 20splentyforus.org.uk.
See also the official website for the European Citizen's Initiative "30kmh – making streets liveable!" at 30kmh.eu.