20 mph speed limit on the way?

[Cab]

20mph limits, to be enforced by cameras too!

What do you think?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7046200.stm

 

[Cab]

I have no problem with that.

Me neither, in general it seems like a decent idea. Its going to send some people completely batty though.

 

[Cab]

Go somewhere where the road culture has accepted that roads aren't just for cars and you'll see the difference.

I quite agree, there is something peculiar about some nationalities, the British included, whereby we seem to have largely accepted the ascendancy of the car as the only way to get about.

 

[vbc]

Road safety advisors call for 20 mph limit in town centres to reduce accident rates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7046200.stm

 

[gambatte]

Road safety advisors call for 20 mph limit in town centres to reduce accident rates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7046200.stm

VBC, erm.... did you read the original post?


Be intersting to see what jeremy thinks of it on 'top gear'

 

[gambatte]

Sorry, I should have said. VBC started an identical thread, so I merged the two. I couldn't find the bit where you could put in an explanation.

So who started first, so we can spend several posts berating the other for not doing a 'search' first

 

[bonj2]

I think it's a good idea, but not for a safety perspective but from the perspective that it will encourage more people to cycle as they will keep seeing bikes overtaking them more, and will take the "well if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" stance.


Although I think Jon Perez has got a good point on the BBC HYS:

If the gov want less accidents then paint more pedestrian crossings and make them the only place to legally cross roads.

This would undoubtedly reduce the number of deaths drastically. The politically correct mumbo-jumbo liberal brigade will whinge that "civil liberties are being eroded" and that "rights are being trampled on", but it's for everyone's benefit.

and, masterEloso has got a good point aswell:

Roads are for cars, Pavements are for children, the quicker parents teach this to their children the safer they would be, a spped limit will not stop all drivers from going too fast. People should take responsibilty for there own saftey in this world.

 

[bonj2]

thinking about it if they did have 20mph limits in towns it'd mean i'd only have to use 2 different gears in my van most of the time, 'high' and 'low'

 

[magnatom]

Roads are for cars, Pavements are for children, the quicker parents teach this to their children the safer they would be, a spped limit will not stop all drivers from going too fast. People should take responsibilty for there own saftey in this world.

So where do cyclists go then?

 

[bonj2]

So where do cyclists go then?

well, on the road of course. They are vehicles after all.

 

[magnatom]

well, on the road of course. They are vehicles after all.

Ah but you said you agreed with this guys comments and he said Roads are for cars

No mention of vehicles......

 

[Cab]

(regarding pedestrian crossings being the places to cross)

This would undoubtedly reduce the number of deaths drastically. The politically correct mumbo-jumbo liberal brigade will whinge that "civil liberties are being eroded" and that "rights are being trampled on", but it's for everyone's benefit.

Trouble is that unless we really design in pedestrian crosses at appropriate places, its unworkable. That would mean a radical redesign of our road/pedestrian/crossing network. I'm up for it, but I don't believe for a moment that the motorists putting this forward are up for it.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Will it apply to bikes as well?

 

[HLaB]

I thought these coments were a little stupid by the Association of British Drivers

"All you achieve by making people drive down the road looking at their speedometer is 10 times as many deaths and that's before you cause more accidents because people aren't looking where they're going".

People maybe will be distracted by their speedo but they will still have much more time to brake and research in other countries have prove its worked, reduced accident rates.

a survey by the Transport Research Laboratory of 20mph zones across the UK and in other European countries found child road accidents fell by 67%, cyclist accidents by 29% and traffic flow by 27%

 

[Cab]

Will it apply to bikes as well?

Doesn't currently, so probably not.