Author Topic: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities  (Read 10511 times)

Re: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities
« Reply #50 on: 27 February, 2018, 03:20:23 pm »
Our site roads at work are 20mph limited, and especially for contractors, speeding where is an instant ban from site (which in most cases effectively means they lose their job), nobody breaks the limits. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary do enforce the site limits*

It feels strange driving (and cycling - we also have to stick below 20 officially) at that speed for a while, but now it's just how it is, and you just get used to how the car feels. In many ways, I think the more these 20mph zones spread around the country, the more that people will get used to them and drive to the limits. For now we are still in the 'war on motorists' sulking phase. What's needed is the police to do a bit of enforcement to make drivers realise they do have to take the limits seriously.


*Partly through boredom - they have also been known to chase unlidded cyclists** on blues and twos!
**Site rule annoyingly is mandatory magic hats - a rule which pretty much killed off our fledgling staff 'site bikes' scheme

We had similar site rules at a southern site controlled by the same force.

It was funny how the cars would think about overtaking a cyclist* and then suddenly realise the cyclist was doing 20mph so passing wasn't a good idea. I did on one occasion follow a car to it's carpark to speak to the driver about passing a cyclist who was already doing 20mph**.

* instinctive I must drive faster than a cyclist can pedal.

**Outside the site police station and in front of their Sargent as it was time for his morning tea break from pointing a firearm at anyone coming through the gate.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities
« Reply #51 on: 27 February, 2018, 03:44:25 pm »
Some people do get caught in the 20 limits it seems...

http://road.cc/content/news/237844-driver-risks-losing-licence-repeatedly-breaking-20mph-limit
I went to a "Meet the Mayor" (of Bristol) session last week, the mayor didn't turn up but one of the issues raised was his review into the 20mph zones already in place. Most of the people at this session (one of a series neighbourhood by neighbourhood) were against the review ie in favour of the 20mph limits staying, his deputy said it was the most raised issue in her ward. Someone said the limits were not enforced, to which someone else replied "Yes they are, I got done!" But only the once (and still in favour of the limit).

It's notable IMO that the local paper illustrated this story with a photo of the woman running a marathon (or some similar event).
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

mattc

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Re: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities
« Reply #52 on: 27 February, 2018, 05:15:00 pm »
Even if some people don't obey 20 limits a lot will. Some people don't obey 30 limits now so should we not have 30 limits? It would be interesting to see what the average speed is in a 20mph zone compared to a 30mph zone I bet its lower. People might drive 35 in a 30 thinking its just a bot over the limit but in a 20 those same people might do 25 with the same logic. I know that they are still speeding but the point is they are driving 10mph slower which is a good thing. Speed limits aren't about enforcing some arbitrary max speed (why 20mph is it massively safer than 19mph or 22mph no its just a convenient round number) for the sake of if but about cutting down on injury and death so it doesn't really matter if a 20mph limit achieves 100% compliance so long as it gets a significant proportion of drivers to slow down.
Every car that obeys they 20 limit or even reduces its speed from 30 to 25mph is making the road a little bit safer.

+1 x  :thumbsup: !
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Re: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities
« Reply #53 on: 28 February, 2018, 11:35:03 am »
That story turned up on the Angry People In Local Newspapers FB page the other day.  The subject was roundly scorned for being an idiot.  I may have brought out the tiny violin picture I keep for such occasions.
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Re: Lowering speed limit to 20mph increases injuries and fatalities
« Reply #54 on: 28 February, 2018, 10:01:06 pm »
I drove in Edinburgh last weekend. As an occasional visitor, I thought traffic was noticeably slower.
And casualty stats are significantly down.

Edinburgh News story.
Rust never sleeps