Safe Speed Forums

Edward Chadwick reports in the "Bolton Evening" (Tuesday 8/8/06)

Calls were made to reduce Knowsley Street, Bolton from 30 mph to 20 mph after a woman was seriously injured after being struck by a single decker bus. The impact threw her into a parked Clio. She suffered serious head injuries but not "life threatening" Her condition is reported as "stable"

Councillors are calling for the limit to be reduced to 20 mph in the wake of this crash. It coccured at the point where Knowley Street becomes "Deansgate"

It is believed that the woman simply stepped into the road without looking per witnesses - one of whom happened to be one of my own sisters who was shopping in town at Monday lunchtime when it happened. She was the one who called the emergency services and was involved in the initial first aiding to the lady who was not local to the area anyway.

Well done Julie!




Speed limit is 30 mph. Councillor (sadly a Tory one - Cllr Lever) is calling for a reduction to 20 mph "to curb the speed of the buses"





Perhaps a speed limiter in the bus and better training for bus drivers. I will admit that each time I've used a bus down in the 'burbs - they stand on the brakes at each stop which gives a really jerky ride to the passengers.

Perhaps more adverts on the Green Cross would focus us all more on using the set of very sensible rules when crossing any road too. It does say not to cross on a bend after all!

A police spokesman told the paper that the woman was crossing the road when she was involved in a collision with a bus and pushed into a Renualt Clio, which was parked at the side of the road.

Arriva North West confirmed one of their drivers had collided with a pedestrian and the company and driver were assisting the police with the investigation into the cause of the accident.

All witnesses to this incident should contact the road policing unit on 0161- 856 7201.


However, I doubt a 20 mph limit and a speed cam will prevent furthter collisions. Teaching and reinforcing the Green Cross Code with the same emphasis currently given to the speed limits certainly would have longer term safety results for all of us.

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So it's believed that she stepped into the road without looking...

...hey, let's reduce the speed limit and install a speed camera, as that will make pedestrians more cautious!

Speed limits and cameras are the answer to everything on the roads nowadays. Congestion? ATM with speed limits and speed cameras. KSIs? Same again. The environment? Same again. Potholes? Oops, I hope nobody in power read that!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

My blood boils.

Yet another MP / councillor jumps on the "speed" bandwagon to pander to the nannyist section of the populate who believe that "speed" - and the reduction thereof - is the solution to all motoring ills.

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Simon

Perhaps its time that jaywalking type legislation was brought in in this country. Cross using a designated crossing point or get a fine.

Its about time that people in this country started taking responsibility for their actions rather than relying on the nanny state all the time.

Then again, there is always Darwin's theory!

Just my 2c worth

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

Not knowing the road & pavement layout using a H&S analogy what about segregation as a control, a length of barrier along this corner to physically block pedestrians from 'just wandering into the road'.

BTW if any MP has the guts to put forward a jaywalking bill he'll get my vote.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

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Same here !

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

Jaywalking legistation is a great idea, pity there aren't any police around to enforce it..

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The light at the end of the tunnel is the light of an oncoming train..

You do realise that would mean the installation of pedestrian traffic lights/zebra crossing at (at least) each and every junction?

I’m sure the limit reduction will be a great success, until someone falls under the wheels of a bus

Ever been to Swindon - they seem to be quite capable of that already. Normally right on the exit of a roundabout

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

I'd support that if it were amended to require the use of a designated crossing *only* if there's one visible within a sensible distance of where you actually want to cross-IIRC the jaywalking law in Singapore (at least when I was there in '86) allowed free crossing if you were more than 100m from a crossing.

Forcing people to only ever cross at designated points would IMO be an idiotic, grossly unfair and entirely unenforceable law, and it smacks as much of the nanny state as forcing drivers to slow down-what would then happen to these helpless peds, so dependent on designated crossing points that they no longer know how to cross a road without one, if they're on a road with no crossing point for miles (I can't imagine every country lane being equipped with zebras/pelicans just in case a rambler happens to want to go wandering) or if there's a system fault and the crossing goes on the blink? Let's start teaching the current and future generations how to cross the road safely in any realistic scenario, then they'll be better armed to cope whether there's a crossing point or not.

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Chris

Jaywalking legioslation exists in other countries in workable forms, I can't see why we can't have it.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

Honestly, do you want your journey screwed up MORE because let's face it, in the UK the idiotic 'peds' press the buttons as they walk past them - even if they have no intention of using it. Imagine getting stopped at empty crossings every 100 yards.

Enter the new phrases 'crossing rage' and 'peddie basher' into the vocabulary!!

I would prefer it if it were phrased much more simply: a pedestrian crossing the road, other than at a zebra crossing or green man, MUST give way to road traffic.