The prospect of 20mph speed limits in urban areas is closer after a government minister backed the idea.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer has thrown his support behind improving road safety, including the lower speed limit. In the House of Keys, he was asked by Bill Shimmins (Middle) whether he supported the Stockholm Declaration.

The declaration sets out a number of recommendations regarding transport planning and the involvement of corporate bodies in helping to achieve vehicle and emission standards.

It further promotes walking and cycling, reiterates the need to use a safe system approach to road safety, clamps down on speeding and backs speed limits of 20mph in urban areas.

Mr Harmer said his department was progressing with increasing and improving 20mph zones in towns and villages. The first would be Castletown, Peel and Port St Mary. Others would follow.

He added: ’I fully endorse the declaration in principle, but the support of this House and the other place will be needed to achieve this challenging cultural/legislative policy and the changes that are required.

’As these changes are implemented and discussed, members will be challenged by some constituents and local interest groups.

’My department will need your support if we are to deliver what some of our European counterparts are already achieving.

’We will want to implement the recommendations in a way that is respectful of the island’s cultural heritage.’

He added that politicians ’need to take the public with us’. However, Mr Harmer also accepted that some people may never accept a change to the culture of the island, known around the world as the home of road racing.

Mr Shimmins said: ’I welcome his endorsement of the Stockholm Declaration under the World Health Organization umbrella.

’Is the Minister aware that research consistently shows that children and those who are over 60 years old are most likely to be killed as pedestrians in collisions with motorised vehicles? ’Is he also aware that pedestrians are 10 times more likely to survive being run over by a vehicle if the vehicle was travelling at 20mph as opposed to 30mph?’

Mr Harmer said he was ’cognisant’ of those figures and ’of the fact that we need to generate our special places to live and work, which is why we are pushing through our 20-miles-an-hour zones’.

Daphne Caine (Garff), while supporting an improvement in road safety, was disappointed to see that her constituency - Garff, which includes Laxey and part of Onchan - was not in the government’s top 30 priority areas.

Chris Robertshaw (Douglas East) also supported the principle, but warned Mr Harmer: ’It is beginning to feel that there is an attempt on the DoI to regulate us out of existence.’

Mr Robertshaw also doubted that further legislation would win the support of residents.