Manchester scraps new 20mph limit because it 'makes no difference to speed or accidents
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4294454/Council-scraps-20mph-limit-no-difference.html
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 9 Mar 17 at 10:37
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>> Manchester scraps new 20mph limit
Let's hope it spreads to Oxford too.
(edited the link, btw way, so it goes to the article first and not the comments that follow)
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 9 Mar 17 at 10:38
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Our drivers are clearly different. Cambridge City Council have this to say over our 20mph limits:
"Overall the consultation results indicate that the majority of respondees are in favour of the 20mph limit on residential and shopping roads (71%)."
and
"The scheme has led to a reduction in recorded vehicle speeds since it was introduced. Of those streets where average traffic speeds were previously above 20mph, some 93% have seen a reduction."
Anyway, a bunch of signs and paint don't cost much:
"The project, which has an approved budget of £600,000, has been split into three phases, covering different areas of the city."
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I dislike over-regulation in just about every aspect of life, but I suppose while there are always going to be those with faulty common sense and / or empathy genes we have to have some. If everyone could be trusted to react sensibly to the circumstances they were currently in, we wouldn't have to have many rules at all. The lowest common denominator prevails as ever.
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Edinburgh is phasing in widespread 20mph zones, as far as I can tell having driven in them they make no difference to traffic speeds or flow.
www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/phase-2-of-20mph-limit-to-stretch-from-leith-to-morningside-1-4304696
There is one stretch of road that is 20mph in one direction and 30mph in the other! :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 9 Mar 17 at 11:55
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When I'm in a 30 limit I set the speed limiter to 33.
On my regular commute there are currently two 20 limit roads. On one I set the limiter to 26, and on the other 23.
So I do go a bit slower in a 20.
Yes, there are always cars up my chuff. Yes, I very rarely, but sometimes, come across someone slower. Yes, I have seen police in both these roads trapping.
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I wish they were scrapping them, sadly it means they are not introducing any more. It is a nightmare at the moment with lots of random 20 zones that don't really make sense. Some of them roads are so wide that most people do 35-40mph down them so it would be dangerous to do 20.
Yew Tree Road in Fallowfield is a good example.
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Bristol was filled with them to extreme by the last Mayor. My mate lives in a cul-de-sac of maybe 25 houses. They came and installed new 20 signs and painted 20 on the road. It was a farce. Its probably quite difficult to get to 20 in his road anyway
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We had that "20 sign and paint bunged up a dead end" game too. It was because the law says that for the thing to be legal you have to have the signs every 100yards, or whatever it is, and the Council didn't want the risk of losing a legal case over technical signage.
It'll only be a handful of years before cars just obey limits themselves anyway, so this is gradually going to become a non-issue. I see Volvo have their first examples out for real people to test on real roads this year, in fact, in Sweden.
www.volvocars.com/intl/about/our-innovation-brands/intellisafe/autonomous-driving#
Hope you like handball.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Fri 10 Mar 17 at 17:59
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I suspect drivers of the baby boomers' generation are the last to have really enjoyed motoring in England.
Who now goes out just for a drive ? Everywhere I go in the south east it's bus lanes, low and lower speed limits, previous dual carriageways with one lane hatched-off to keep us "safe". Then there's the speed cameras, road humps, chicanes, red routes, congestion charge.
Finally when you crawl through the jams and get to your destinaton there's nowhere to park or it costs an arm and a leg. Some meters don't take money - you've got to phone and register and then pay with a card. Take a break and park in some eats places and you'll get a ticket after only an hour.
The fun is over down here - glad I've got my bus pass and my frequent trips to France.
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>>The fun is over down here - glad I've got my bus pass and my frequent trips to France.
Glad (all over) that I live down 'ere, knowlmean.
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You need to move. I often drive 20 miles each way for a pub lunch or simply a stroll along the coast.
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"
Who now goes out just for a drive "
Well when I go shopping, no.
But when I go to our Beekeeping Association Apiary this at 9.30am today, it will be 7 miles of single track roads through woods, fields and past the odd house here or there. Where you stop in passing places to let others pass, acknowledge the courtesy with a wave and laugh at owners of new 4x4s (NOT Range Rovers - too wide to travel on this road) who don't want to get their shiny new tank muddy.
And listen to the birds through the open windows when you stop to let horses past. And see the odd pheasant or partidge...
What's not to like about driving then? :-)
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I get that madf. Only yesterday, I'd done 360 miles during the day while working, left the house at around 05.30 and returning late afternoon having endured the rigours of the motorway system and Friday traffic. Fairly miserable all told. But then later last evening I had to make a short ten mile round trip on local, and now more or less empty country roads, the sort of roads where I knew there would be no cameras, the sight lines were good, where I knew every nuance of the road having travelled it countless times. The sort of road where you can let the car stretch its legs so to speak. Thoroughly enjoyed that.
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>> I had to make a short ten mile round trip on local, and now more
>> or less empty country roads, the sort of roads where I knew there would be
>> no cameras, the sight lines were good, where I knew every nuance of the road
>> having travelled it countless times. The sort of road where you can let the car
>> stretch its legs so to speak. Thoroughly enjoyed that.
For all we, justifiably, complain about congestion on trunk motorways and urban routes there is still plenty of fun to be had in 'B road Britain'. Two perfectly good back road routes from here to the M40 at either Banbury or Gaydon with long NSL stretches, next to no cameras and sparse traffic.
And even though it's Highways Agency Trunk Road territory the A5 from Stony Stratford to Lutterworth is pretty quiet outwith the peak.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 11 Mar 17 at 10:39
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>>Two perfectly good back
>> road routes from here to the M40 at either Banbury or Gaydon with long NSL
>> stretches, next to no cameras and sparse traffic.
>>
...though the A361 to Banbury, which used to be quite enjoyable if you avoided lorries, is now virtually blanket 50mph max. (Such cameras as there are have been there long enough to be imprinted on memory, however ;-) ).
>> And even though it's Highways Agency Trunk Road territory the A5 from Stony Stratford to
>> Lutterworth is pretty quiet outwith the peak.
>>
I have had reason to go South fairly regularly for many a long year. I invariably use this stretch (at least from Lutterworth to the A43 at Towcester - though sometimes the A361 at Kilsby) in preference to the parallel M1. Rarely have to drop below the prevailing, mainly 60mph, speed limit. It being slightly shorter to the A43, there is thus very little time penalty for a much more enjoyable drive.
(and, if I'm heading towards Oxford, I also invariably cut the corner between the M40 and the A34 by continuing down the B340 (the old A34) from Cherwell Services - though the attraction here is a very nice cafe at Weston-on-the-Green ;-) )
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>> It'll only be a handful of years before cars just obey limits themselves anyway.
Maybe sooner than you think, my humble Jazz reads speed signs (and any "red circle" mandatory ones) and shows them on a dashboard display. The speed signs can be linked to one of the two speed limiters. I don't know how well it works, I have not used the system, I prefer the cruise control.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 11 Mar 17 at 09:49
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>> I prefer the cruise control.......
....set at 90.....
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:-)))) That fast officer? It's only a jazz.
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Manchester council scraps 20 MPH limit - VxFan
