Reduce speed limits to 30mph - petition

[Dogtrousers]

I think there are more effective things we could do to improve safety overall. Is speeding on "single carriageways usually found in rural areas" a particularly high priority problem? Would imposing a blanket 30 limit actually address this problem?

And what do they even mean by "single carriageways usually found in rural areas"?

Do they mean both this ...

And this?

Those aren't even particularly extreme examples

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I think there are more effective things we could do to improve safety overall. Is speeding on "single carriageways usually found in rural areas" a particularly high priority problem? Would imposing a blanket 30 limit actually address this problem?

And what do they even mean by "single carriageways usually found in rural areas"?

Do they mean both this ...
View attachment 806079
And this?
View attachment 806080
Those aren't even particularly extreme examples

Well clearly both as you well know. Remember this is reducing the national default speed limit. The A road can still be made 60 mph if justified. Where as the latter I can see little justification for the same.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Speed limits are for motorised vehicles not push bikes

Pedal cycle... please use the correct phrase.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Pedal cycle... please use the correct phrase.

You are clearly too young to have used the phrase “push bike” as we all once did.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Well clearly both as you well know. Remember this is reducing the national default speed limit. The A road can still be made 60 mph if justified.

No, the petition specifically applies to "single carriageways usually found in rural areas". If they had meant "reducing the NSL" they would have said so.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No, the petition specifically applies to "single carriageways usually found in rural areas". If they had meant "reducing the NSL" they would have said so.

The petition does say national speed limit on single carriageways

 

[Electric_Andy]

I've signed, albeit with the assumption that this may increase awareness of an "inconsistency" issue but not be applied everywhere.
It will upset the people who travel at 55/60 on a single carriageway for 30 mins to get to work. I agree with the idea of making it a 30 default but allowing higher in certain (well-considered) situations. There is a section near me that is 30, but there are no speed cameras. It feels too slow but 95% of people seem to stick to it. It makes passing cyclists a lot easier, as you aren't suddenly on top of them doing 60, instead you have plenty of time to see them ahead. Even more important when going around a corner at 40/45 and finding a struggling cyclist doing 8mph with a car oncoming. No-one seems to treat a corner as a roundabout i.e. "expect to slow but proceed if clear". It's usually "expect nothing is around the corner but panic brake if there is".

Yes the usual lot will ignore the limit but there do seem to be a lot of speed abiding drivers out there. If only more people would use speed limiters, it's far easier (psychologically) to be physically limited by your car rather than checking your speed and limiting yourself.

As an aside, I'd also like to see some sort of receivers in new cars that could respond to a digital signal from a road sign that would automatically set your limiter to 30/40 or whatever. It would be like DPFs and EGRs; a minority would illegally disable them but most either wouldn't want to our couldn't be bothered to skirt the system.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I've signed, albeit with the assumption that this may increase awareness of an "inconsistency" issue but not be applied everywhere.
It will upset the people who travel at 55/60 on a single carriageway for 30 mins to get to work. I agree with the idea of making it a 30 default but allowing higher in certain (well-considered) situations. There is a section near me that is 30, but there are no speed cameras. It feels too slow but 95% of people seem to stick to it. It makes passing cyclists a lot easier, as you aren't suddenly on top of them doing 60, instead you have plenty of time to see them ahead. Even more important when going around a corner at 40/45 and finding a struggling cyclist doing 8mph with a car oncoming. No-one seems to treat a corner as a roundabout i.e. "expect to slow but proceed if clear". It's usually "expect nothing is around the corner but panic brake if there is".

Yes the usual lot will ignore the limit but there do seem to be a lot of speed abiding drivers out there. If only more people would use speed limiters, it's far easier (psychologically) to be physically limited by your car rather than checking your speed and limiting yourself.

As an aside, I'd also like to see some sort of receivers in new cars that could respond to a digital signal from a road sign that would automatically set your limiter to 30/40 or whatever. It would be like DPFs and EGRs; a minority would illegally disable them but most either wouldn't want to our couldn't be bothered to skirt the system.

I would be very dubious about trusting a system where an electronic device at the roadside told my car how fast I was allowed to go

The maintenance of the devices would be a nightmare
and "some people" would regard it as a "prank" or "challenge" - or even a moral right - to fiddle with them
and/or send similar signals to screw up cars passing them

I can see the point and it all sounds like a good idea

but the details screw it up

 

[Dogtrousers]

The petition does say national speed limit on single carriageways

Specifically only for "single carriageways usually found in rural areas".

Now they must have thought carefully about this and chosen these words to add some value. Either that or it was written by an idiot and I can't believe that.

 

[Alex321]

No, the petition specifically applies to "single carriageways usually found in rural areas". If they had meant "reducing the NSL" they would have said so.

It does say so.

 

[Alex321]

View attachment 806089
Specifically only for "single carriageways usually found in rural areas".

Now they must have thought carefully about this and chosen these words to add some value. Either that or it was written by an idiot and I can't believe that.

I think quite a large proportion of petitions are written by idiots. Or at least by people who just haven't thought it through.

And while the text says "usually found in rural areas", it doesn't say it should only apply to those.

 

[Alex321]

As an aside, I'd also like to see some sort of receivers in new cars that could respond to a digital signal from a road sign that would automatically set your limiter to 30/40 or whatever. It would be like DPFs and EGRs; a minority would illegally disable them but most either wouldn't want to our couldn't be bothered to skirt the system.

New cars sold since July 2024 have to have "Intelligent Speed Assist", which means speed limiters that set automatically to the current speed limit, based on a combination of cameras seeing the signs and GPS.

These can be overridden, but automatically turn back on again every time the vehicle is started.

Digital signals from road signs would cost an awful lot to implement, as it would require powered transmitters on every speed limit sign in the country.

 

[Alex321]

I'm not going to sign the petition.

Most of the roads which should be 30, very few people drive faster than that anyhow, and those who do would take no notice of new limits.

If the petition had specified roads other than A or B roads, then maybe, but most A & B roads do not need the default limit lowering - for most of them limits are already in place where needed.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I would be very dubious about trusting a system where an electronic device at the roadside told my car how fast I was allowed to go

The maintenance of the devices would be a nightmare
and "some people" would regard it as a "prank" or "challenge" - or even a moral right - to fiddle with them
and/or send similar signals to screw up cars passing them

I can see the point and it all sounds like a good idea

but the details screw it up

Or maybe then, use the same technology as the self-driving cars use i.e. GPS. The technology must already exist, otherwise satnavs would not be able to (mostly) tell you what the limit is on a stretch of road, or tell driverless cars how fast they should be going. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would maybe capture 70% of vehicles that are equipped with the tech, and there is still an over-riding human limit i.e. the highway code. There will always be those who ignore/tamper with it. But that is a calculated loss as in any scenario.

I cannot see it happening though for a number of reasons. The GPS/Car manufacturers would want a fortune. The installation into new cars would up costs. And the various councils/governments don't really want safer roads if there's no money to be earned from speeding fines

 

[Alex321]

Or maybe then, use the same technology as the self-driving cars use i.e. GPS. The technology must already exist, otherwise satnavs would not be able to (mostly) tell you what the limit is on a stretch of road, or tell driverless cars how fast they should be going. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would maybe capture 70% of vehicles that are equipped with the tech, and there is still an over-riding human limit i.e. the highway code. There will always be those who ignore/tamper with it. But that is a calculated loss as in any scenario.

I cannot see it happening though for a number of reasons. The GPS/Car manufacturers would want a fortune. The installation into new cars would up costs. And the various councils/governments don't really want safer roads if there's no money to be earned from speeding fines

It is already in all new cars, by law.

It has been required for all new cars sold since July 2024.

https://www.bumper.co/blog/mandatory-speed-limiters