20 mph speed limit on the way?

[fossyant]

If it did apply to bikes, I'd be arrested..... I don't drop much below 20 mph on my commute anywhere ?

 

[Maz]

If it did apply to bikes, I'd be arrested..... I don't drop much below 20 mph on my commute anywhere ?

In another thread, someone said speed limits don't apply to non-motorised traffic. If that's true, you'll be OK.

 

[howesym]

Think that you will find that a spped limit for a public road is applicable to all users of the road. So if you are on the road the limit will apply.

 

[BentMikey]

Maz, it is true. Except in Royal Parks and some other locations where there are specific bye-laws applying to bicycles.

That doesn't mean you can't be done for dangerous cycling/pedalling furiously instead though, it's just harder to prove. It would possibly also be irresponsible/morally wrong to go faster than the motor vehicle speed limit.

 

[BentMikey]

Think that you will find that a spped limit for a public road is applicable to all users of the road. So if you are on the road the limit will apply.

You are this: WRONG.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

In the UK there are currently around 3,200 road deaths annually, compared with more than 7,000 a year in the 1960s.

This improvement is due to a number of factors, including seatbelts, improved car design, the breathalyser and traffic-calming measures.


How do they know this?



Reducing the speed limit in towns might have repercussions outside of towns if drivers feel the need to save time by speeding up. (Bit of a shaky devils advocate attempt)

20mph seems too slow to me. I can see the benefits in a city centre, but on suburban roads and corridors into the city centre it seems too slow. Maybe I'm too used to 30mph.

Do those who advocate it drive at 20mph in a 30mph limit normally?
Are most accidents on the roads caused by people driving inside the speed limit?

I tend to think it's the culture that needs to change rather than the limit.

 

[spindrift]

That chap from the ABD has basically admitted he's not fit to drive.

 

[gambatte]

Think that you will find that a spped limit for a public road is applicable to all users of the road. So if you are on the road the limit will apply.

If a cycle exceeds the speed limit, no offense has been commited. The only offense that could possibly be brought would be 'cycling furiously'.

Need to check the facts as to what your'e saying howesym.

Don't want to be shot down on your second post as well

 

[howesym]

Take a look at this..

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/ET_trfmgmt_2007TRO10-PNFAQ.pdf

 

[Maz]

Take a look at this..

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/ET_trfmgmt_2007TRO10-PNFAQ.pdf

Interesting. It says:
• Does 20mph also apply to cyclists?
• The speed limit applies to all road users including cyclists.

 

[Cab]

I tend to think it's the culture that needs to change rather than the limit.

I think that changing the culture of road use in the UK would have a greater impact. But we're not changing the culture, it just ain't happening. So lets change the limit.

 

[gambatte]

From what I can see that still only applies to cars etc. Its for the 'safety of pedestrians and cyclists'

Surely you're not proposing the limit applied to pedestrians also?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I think that changing the culture of road use in the UK would have a greater impact. But we're not changing the culture, it just ain't happening. So lets change the limit.

OK but we should have a solid reason for doing so don't you think?

Do you know what percentage of accidents on the roads last year were caused by motorists who were exceeding the 30mph speed limit?

 

[Cab]

Interesting. It says:
• Does 20mph also apply to cyclists?
• The speed limit applies to all road users including cyclists.

I suspect that they are in error, I don't believe that under the acts they quote they can actually enforce that speed limit on bicycles.

 

[Cab]

OK but we should have a solid reason for doing so don't you think?

Yes.

Do you know what percentage of accidents on the roads last year were caused by motorists who were exceeding the 30mph speed limit?

I don't think thats the solid reason in question though.

This is as much about reclaiming the streets such that people feel safer to walk or cycle. We can argue tooth and nail about what the best default road position for a cyclist would be (we wouldn't, but we could!) but it ain't the case that beginner cyclists instinctively take the best position on the roads, we need to encourage them out by making the roads seem less hostile to them. It also ain't the case that we're going to encourage more people to walk by telling them that if there are more pedestrians their school children are safer. This is about changing attitudes, its a statement that cars are less of a priority than bikes and pedestrians.

What are the accident stats? Well, yeah, we've seen quotes here already claiming that 20mph limits make urban roads safer. Maybe they do. I dunno, I'd have to have a close look at those claims. But if you think thats all that this is about, you're missing the point.