A blanket 20mph speed limit in Oxford reduced overall speeds by just 0.9mph.
The council claim even this small reduction can produce a five per cent reduction in casualty rates.
Accident numbers fell across the county by just seven, which may have had nothing to do with the 20mph limit.
The vast majority of Oxford's drivers were doing well under the previous 30mph limit when conditions demanded it.
Looks like the £300K spent on the scheme was a waste of money.
tinyurl.com/69j6gmm (Shortened link to www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/)
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 21 Feb 11 at 10:38
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Not sure how meaningful an 'average' speed is. I drive to work at a mean speed of about 38mph, but spend very little time at 38mph. Presumably the mean speed in town includes time stationary at junctions and lights, so the speed limit isn't the only factor.
Let's look at the statistics another way: the change produced a reduction in accidents of more than 4% in a 12-month period (2008-09) where traffic volumes fell everywhere because of the financial crisis. Since, as the pro-speed lobby loves to remind us, speed is not a factor in all accidents, the percentage reduction in speed-related accidents was greater. A case for More or Less to investigate, perhaps.
Nice to see that the first comment on the article parrots the old canard ('scuse the mixed birds) about lower limits outside schools. Should save anyone here from doing so.
};---)
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Appears to be Europe-wide trend. The revised Spanish highway code (there is one!) due shortly is proposing 30 kph speed limits on all urban roads with single traffic lanes
"...justified the measure by saying no pedestrian can survive a car at 70 kms/hour, 50% survive a 50 kms/hour impact, but 95% survive a 30 kms/hour impact."
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>> Not sure how meaningful an 'average' speed is. I drive to work at a mean
>> speed of about 38mph, but spend very little time at 38mph. Presumably the mean speed
>> in town includes time stationary at junctions and lights, so the speed limit isn't the
>> only factor.
>>
>>
Do you mean, 'mean'?
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As a regular visitor to Oxford ( from London) I have had to endure the extensive roadworks on the main road into the city for many many months.
No wonder the average speed has been reduced. The results from this road are enough to drag down the stats :-(
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Not a very impressive idea. Needs to be targeted like it is now. I admit I find 20 mph mind numbingly slow, but ill do it if theres sound reasoning behind it.
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No one sticks to the 20mph limit around Oxford. Most Taxis drive at 40mph+ and overtake you if you drive at less than 30mph. If you spot plod behind you then you make the effort to stick to 20mph, but you then get the feeling you're just in their way as they don't want to stick to 20mph either. I spoke to an officer one night and he said that the 20mph limit was ridiculous, as do his colleagues.
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You could think of 20mph as an inconvenient side effect of the perch-and-groat system beloved of so many on this board. 40km/h would be about perfect for residential areas - it's about what I do on my own wide, straight street - but we don't do multiples of less than ten, so if it's less than 30mph it has to be 20.
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>> they don't want to stick to 20mph either. I spoke to an officer one night and he said that the 20mph limit was ridiculous, as do his colleagues.
Of course it's ridiculous. If you are safer at 20 than at 30, the fact is that you shouldn't be driving at all. That may apply to a third or more of current licence holders though.
Here's an idea: give everyone a driving licence at birth and ban private cars altogether. That would make the roads safe.
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A limit too low? - WillDeBeest
