Safe Speed Forums

You should have heard the waffle on BBC News this morning here in Suffolk. Someone spouting how the government have cut road deaths by half, and that these 20mph limits will cut them even further. They want us all at a standstill.

How do people THIS stupid get allowed anywhere near the jobs they're in. Seriously.

Hold on a minute!

20 mph
Fatal 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0

30 mph
Fatal 505 453 449 447 477 466 386 389 370

Spot the difference.

What is a 30mph zone? As far as I know there is no such thing. Maybe someone from SS can explain? Does Mr Smith know the difference between a limit and a zone?

And from what I can gather accidents in 20mph "Home Zones" are virtually non-existent.

PS: The Fog PR was hilarious. Was it a joke?

And from what I can gather accidents in 20mph "Home Zones" are virtually non-existent.

The report from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety - which advises MPs and the Government - says local authorities want to introduce digital cameras which measure speed over a set distance to enforce the 20mph limit.

Such cameras - as opposed to those which log a cars speed at a single point - regularly catch out thousands of drivers at roadworks on motorways.

However, the type requires Home Office approval to be operated at lower speeds. The report says the Government should make it a priority to grant it.

Umm, hang on a minute... I presume they're talking about SPECS here, since I can't think of any other average speed system currently used in the UK. And if they are talking about SPECS, then this article prettly clearly implies that it isn't currently approved for 20mph enforcement.

So why are the City of London Police already using it to enforce the 20mph limits over Tower Bridge and along Lower Thames Street

And from what I can gather accidents in 20mph "Home Zones" are virtually non-existent.

We've had 10 years of Speed limit reduction and increased traffic calming. There is no evidence at all that these policies improve road safety.

You should have heard the waffle on BBC News this morning here in Suffolk. Someone spouting how the government have cut road deaths by half, and that these 20mph limits will cut them even further. They want us all at a standstill.

How do people THIS stupid get allowed anywhere near the jobs they're in. Seriously.

We've recently returned from a holiday in southern France. We didn't encounter a single speed camera, so we could concentrate on the road ahead without one eye on the speedo and the other scanning for cameras or talivans, and for the first time in ages, driving was actually a pleasure rather than a stressful experience.

Application

It will be for local authorities to determine whether speed limits or zones should be used. They will need to decide whether the proposed type of speed limit is

appropriate to the area, and
beneficial in road safety and environmental terms.
Equally important is that the form of speed limit chosen does not require unreasonable levels of enforcement by the police.

20 mph speed limits by signs alone would be most appropriate where 85th percentile speeds are already low and further traffic calming measures are not needed. 20 mph zones should be used where excessive speeds occur, and where traffic calming measures would be needed to ensure speeds are at or below 20 mph. 20 mph zones would be particularly appropriate where there is an existing record of accidents to children occurring over an area, or where concentrations of pedestrians and/or cyclists exist or are anticipated. They can help to protect children walking and cycling to and from school, and may encourage other children to walk or cycle.

With new road layouts, where suitable features can be included in the design, the preference should be for 20 mph zones. Design Bulletin 32 and the companion guide "Places, Streets & Movement" provide further advice.