decentralising speed limits

[dellzeqq]

The joys of decentralising?

Nimbyism. Don’t you just love it? Windfarms refused permission by local councils worried about the llama population being sucked in to the turbine’s flux capacitator – fabulous! Thousands of planning officers dedicated to creating the biggest housing shortage in Europe – way to go! On the other hand....

Those of you with a yen for tedium might want to take a look at this little sweetie

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/strategic-framework-for-road-safety/strategicframework.pdf

which is the Coalition’s take on road safety. It’s a pretty limp document (but, then again, putting a pic of Philip Hammond at the top doesn’t help). It does, however, contain one interesting paragraph. Skim to the bottom of page 8 and you’ll see that they tend to decentralize the power to set speed limits. Sounds good to me….

Oh, and for the safety nerds amongst us – isn't the measure of death and injury per billion miles travelled completely beside the point?

 

[benb]

Oh, and for the safety nerds amongst us – isn't the measure of death and injury per billion miles travelled completely beside the point?

If you mean that there are other reasons to reduce speed limits than just safety, I agree.
If you mean there is a better way to estimate the safety of modes of transport, then I don't know what that could be.

 

[dellzeqq]

I was more taken by the comparison between Northern Scotland and London. By the death per billion miles measure Northern Scotland is safer - but, clearly, trip distances in Northern Scotland are far, far greater. If the map is some kind of measure of success, then Northern Scotland, which has the highest death and injury rate per capita by a stretch would stick out like a sore thumb, and the DfT would be asking why.

 

[benb]

I was more taken by the comparison between Northern Scotland and London. By the death per billion miles measure Northern Scotland is safer - but, clearly, trip distances in Northern Scotland are far, far greater. If the map is some kind of measure of success, then Northern Scotland, which has the highest death and injury rate per capita by a stretch would stick out like a sore thumb, and the DfT would be asking why.

I suppose there are different ways of measuring risk, depending on what exactly you are after.
If you want to show that taking the train is safer than driving for example, then KSI per bn km would be fine for that.

 

[Crackle]

Liverpool is going to 20mph

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-15590013

 

[Alun]

Liverpool is going to 20mph

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-15590013

They don't say how this is to be enforced though, the amount of traffic through many of these streets wouldn't justify a speed camera van.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

County cycle forum last night suggests localism is, potentially, at least as much an opportunity as a threat to cycling campaigners. Chichester have got their 20's plenty on the district and county council agenda as a result, and we seem to be making a little headway on a pet project strategic cycle route in da 'Sham thanks to getting support from non-cyclists on neighbourhood councils/CLC's