HJ
Cycling in Scotland
- Location
- Auld Reekie
As Glasgow is to impose legal 20mph speed limits in all residential areas, I wonder if this is something which cycle commuters would want the rest of the country to follow?
Glasgow to impose legal 20mph speed limits
- Thread starter HJ
- Start date
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HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Is it actually going to be any different, I think there just targeting residential roads and not the main arteries.
thomas
the tank engine
- Location
- Woking/Norwich
Around me in Norwich is pretty much all 20 on residential roads...though some of the mainer roads are not (Unthank Road has a small section past shops which is sensible).
I am for 20mph zones in certain areas....tbh though, for the most part people will just drive through these areas at 30mph+.
I didn't realise that a lot of the roads near me were 20mph until they put up all these road safety signs, as no one seemed to drive at 20mph, other than if the road wasn't clear. The speed limit doesn't normally effect me on the bike, so I've never really paid that much attention.
I am for 20mph zones in certain areas....tbh though, for the most part people will just drive through these areas at 30mph+.
I didn't realise that a lot of the roads near me were 20mph until they put up all these road safety signs, as no one seemed to drive at 20mph, other than if the road wasn't clear. The speed limit doesn't normally effect me on the bike, so I've never really paid that much attention.
OP
OP
HJ
Cycling in Scotland
- Location
- Auld Reekie
HLaB said:
I was wondering about that, I think it would be better if the 30 mph limit was replaced with a 20 mph limit and enforced...
thomas
the tank engine
- Location
- Woking/Norwich
HJ said:
That's about the only way. Rightly or wrongly, 20mph feels incredibly slow in a car and is below the 'natural' speed of most roads.
Like I mentioned in Norwich, some of the roads that are...I wouldn't say I would have realised by the average speed of most cars.
killiekosmos
Veteran
HJ said:
This is a good move. No need to drive faster in residential areas. We should be aiming to do this by default in all towns.
Debian
New Member
- Location
- West Midlands
thomas said:
1) 20 mph only feels slow because drivers have become conditioned to high speeds and modern cars are so quiet and smooth.
On a residential road, especially a narrow one with lots of parked cars 20 mph feels dangerously fast to me - a child could run out from between any parked cars at any moment. I have seen a child run out and be hit by a car - not pretty or nice.
Drivers have to be conditioned out of the mental image that 30 or below "feels slow" - it's b*****ks.
2) WTF is the "natural" speed of a road??
That statement makes no sense at all to me.
Spinney
Bimbleur extraordinaire
- Location
- Back up north
I often wonder if these 20 limits actually manage to achieve a 30 limit - i.e. people still break the speed limit by (say) 10 mph, so a 20 limit has the effect of achieving a 30 limit, whereas if the signs said 30, many people would drive at 40 (if you see what I mean...)
thomas said:
The problem is that in modern cars, if you sit in third your car will naturally sit above 20mph on he flat. Stick it in 2nd and it will rev a fair bit if you take it to 20 and generally drivers don't like reving the car too much. So it takes a bit of effort to sit between 15-20mph. Is asking drivers to make an effort too much though......
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Spinney said:
That is still better if it yields a 10 mph reduction in speed.
automatic_jon
Guest
Portsmouth has had 20mph limits for sometime although I don't think they've affected driver behaviour very much. Cautious drivers are more cautious and reckless drivers still don't stick to speed limits.
20mph on a bike feels slow to me! 
It's a good idea but most of the resedential roads affected in my area would be difficult to drive at 30, narrow, parked cars, pinch points, speed bumps etc are generally speaking already controlling speed reasonably well.
On those resedential roads that drivers are regularly going at 30 the 20 sign will slow down some but not all. And for those who don't... how will it be enforced?
Viniga
It's a good idea but most of the resedential roads affected in my area would be difficult to drive at 30, narrow, parked cars, pinch points, speed bumps etc are generally speaking already controlling speed reasonably well.
On those resedential roads that drivers are regularly going at 30 the 20 sign will slow down some but not all. And for those who don't... how will it be enforced?
Viniga
It has had a difference in Portsmouth as in many areas the avearage speed has dropped. Admittedly there are the idiots who can't get the concept of speed limits (and the fact that taxis are apparently exempt), however on an overall basis I prefer the restricted Portsmouth to the unrestricted
I would be surprised if the number on the stick makes very much difference at all to the average speed, unless it is backed up by (a) enforcement (e.g. cameras) or ( changes to the road environment such as shortening sightlines, road narrowing, white paint removal, etc etc.
changes to the road environment such as shortening sightlines, road narrowing, white paint removal, etc etc.
