20 mph speed limit.

[Alex321]

There are lots of jokes going around at the moment about this. People in Wales don't want it.

Quit a lot of people don't want it. But quite a lot do.

Its crazy that on the A470 going through our village is now 20mph, but the lane that I live on which is a single track road and I can drive at 60 mph if I am really stupid enough to do so.

Yes, many of the default 60 limits are just crazy. But I think it just too much work to work out what the limits should be on any given rural lane.

People ignore the 30mph roads as it is, so they won't take any notice of 20mph signs.

So far, round here, they do seem to be doing so. And with a few exceptions, I have been surprised how sensibe the Vale council have been about which rosds have stayed tt 30.

Cars are going to be releasing more emissions due to the low speed so villages are going to have to suffer the consequences of that.

Less emissions actually.

Particularly since traffic is likely to flow more, rather than stopping/starting as much.

Drakeford is being a bit of d**k with his responses to journalists and I think not enough though has been given to exactly where and in what places and circumstances the 20mph rules are enforced. In my local town, the 20mph is started nearly a mile from the town itself.

Watch this space as they say.

Well Drakeford has always seem out of touch with real people, to say the least.

 

[cougie uk]

Cars are going to be releasing more emissions due to the low speed so villages are going to have to suffer the consequences of that.

As a cyclist - what takes more energy - riding at say 10 mph or 15mph ?
It's the same with cars - you use more fuel for faster speeds.
And with the hybrids and EVs there's going to be less emissions through the village anyway. Don't they usually switch to battery at that speed ?

 

[Andy in Germany]

There are lots of jokes going around at the moment about this. People in Wales don't want it. Its crazy that on the A470 going through our village is now 20mph, but the lane that I live on which is a single track road and I can drive at 60 mph if I am really stupid enough to do so.

People ignore the 30mph roads as it is, so they won't take any notice of 20mph signs.

Cars are going to be releasing more emissions due to the low speed so villages are going to have to suffer the consequences of that.

Drakeford is being a bit of d**k with his responses to journalists and I think not enough though has been given to exactly where and in what places and circumstances the 20mph rules are enforced. In my local town, the 20mph is started nearly a mile from the town itself.

Watch this space as they say.

I don't really see an argument against the limits per se here. If people ignore limits that's an argument for enforcement, not abandoning them. We have a local section of trunk road which goes from 100km/h (60mph) to 50 km/h (30mph) to 30 Km/h (20mph) in about 100m with a greem painted camera right after, it's amazing how well it's onserved, and also how much quieter and easier to cross the road on a bike.

The "It'll make more emmisions" argument was tried here until it became clear this wasn't the case; we now have speed limits specifically to keep emmisions down. We also have limits to reduce noise in towns and villages. The limits also make drivers less likely to travel unnecessarily through villages which helps too.

If 60mph is too fast on narrow rural roads then that's an argument for reducing speeds on narrow rural roads; or possibly an argument for much more localised decision making and enforcement of limits within set guidelines.

In the end, you have a choice; either you make villages convenient for people in cars, or more convenient for every other person in the village. By definition if you favour one, you inconvenience the other. I suspect a lot of people are realising this and the motorists are doing their level best to look like thers is the majority opinion.

 

[Rusty Nails]

One week into this tyrannical, one-sided, war on the hard-working, cash-strapped, over-taxed  victim motorist and I must admit my life has not changed noticeably.

I haven't been late to get anywhere, and I haven't been starting my journeys early or taken food supplies in case the journey goes on too long.

My only small but genuine problem with it is a downhill stretch after a roundabout not far from my house (with a camera half-way down a wide road with houses on one side only) where I do struggle to stop the car going over the limit. If it wasn't for that camera I would probably let the car creep up to 25mph. I will get used to it just as I have got used to the 30 and 40mph limits on the dual carriaged A470 in the city boundaries, and the 40 and 50mph limits on the A48 dual carriageway east-west through Cardiff.

 

[welsh dragon]

I don't really see an argument for the limits per se here. If people ignore limits that's an argument for enforcement, not abandoning them. We have a local section of trunk road which goes from 100km/h (60mph) to 50 km/h (30mph) to 30 Km/h (20mph) in about 100m with a greem painted camera right after, it's amazing how well it's onserved, and also how much quieter and easier to cross the road on a bike.

The "It'll make more emmisions" argument was tried here until it became clear this wasn't the case; we now have speed limits specifically to keep emmisions down. We also have limits to reduce noise in towns and villages. The limits also make drivers less likely to travel unnecessarily through villages which helps too.

If 60mph is too fast on narrow rural roads then that's an argument for reducing speeds on narrow rural roads; or possibly an argument for much more localised decision making and enforcement of limits within set guidelines.

In the end, you have a choice; either you make villages convenient for people in cars, or more convenient for every other person in the village. By definition if you favour one, you inconvenience the other. I suspect a lot of people are realising this and the motorists are doing their level best to look like thers is the majority opinion.

I didn't say people do 60mph on the narrow lane that I live on, just that it is allowed and it would be scary if people did it but on a road where no one walks because there are no footpaths or people to walk into the road, then it's 20mph.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67064306

f*** me the people in Wales are fit!!

apparently they can nearly walk at 20mph and at that speed "push bikes" are passing them

I mean, I use an ebike, so I generally do about 15-16 mph on your normal flat roads and not many people pass me on bikes - except the occasional road bike person in proper lycra (one guy did on a decent mountain bike with knobby tyres - respect to him if he read this!!) but apparently in Wales this is common

according to some man in the street in Wales at least
and it probably took the reporter all morning to find some who would say it!

 

[Alex321]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67064306

f*** me the people in Wales are fit!!

apparently they can nearly walk at 20mph and at that speed "push bikes" are passing them

I mean, I use an ebike, so I generally do about 15-16 mph on your normal flat roads and not many people pass me on bikes - except the occasional road bike person in proper lycra (one guy did on a decent mountain bike with knobby tyres - respect to him if he read this!!) but apparently in Wales this is common

according to some man in the street in Wales at least
and it probably took the reporter all morning to find some who would say it!

Yes, the "nearly run as fast" is a ludicrous comment.

I have found myself held up on the bike by traffic doing 20 a few times since it has come in, but not all that often.

And on busy roads such as the one down from Treherbert (particularly while the train service is out), I think it actually lets traffic flow better than the old 30 limits did.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Lower speeds feel very slow when you've been used to driving faster. I would actually prefer more speed cameras rather than what we have around here which is speed bumps everywhere, they really to whollop your car even if you take them at 10mph. Most places I go around town (i.e. until I get onto the 70mph A38) don't allow you to go much more than 20 anyway. There are a few 30's and 40's but if all the traffic behind you is doing 20 then they're not going to catch you up and form a queue. It's very easy with cruise control or speed limiter set at 20 to just sit there in 3rd gear and watch your MPG guage creeping up instead of watching the fuel gauge creep down. I bet if most people's urban journeys were analysed, it wouldn't take much longer at 20mph than it would at 30/40, what with all the stopping at lights and roundabouts anyway.

The only thing I've heard to counter this argument was when a main trunk road from the south of the city up to the north was brought down from 40 to 30. Many people reported far more queues with the lower speed limit. It was then taken up to 40 again and became freer flowing

 

[albion]

That one felt like it was ghost written by Laura Kuennsberg.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Not quite 20 but close to me a short section of 40 is soon to become 30 because of development, it already has a speed camera and I'm looking forward to someone being caught out

 

[Drago]

That one felt like it was ghost written by Laura Kuennsberg. It has more than enough to keep the baying right happy.

Oh yes, because the baying right just love Miss Kommiesberg.

 

[Jody]

Thread lock incoming in 3...... 2......

 

[albion]

Edited my post - I forgot which forum I was on. Remembered a bit late. One more edit needed.

 

[FishFright]

Thread lock incoming in 3...... 2......

Don't encourage them !

 

[Mike_P]

Some local main roads a 20 limit would be unrealistic as traffic hardly ever moves that fast but I bet if they did mark them as 20 instead of 30 their would be uproar.