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Calls for 8mph speed limits

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Gizmo

Post subject: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:46

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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 09:16
Posts: 3655

daft story

Quote:

It's not safe to let our children play outside Nov 17 2005

By Annette Kinsella

CONCERNED mums and dads who fear their children could be knocked down and killed are backing a campaign to slash the speed limit to 8mph.

Dad and former Coventry city councillor Rob Wheway, 56, of Allesley Old Road, Chapelfields, revealed his astonishing idea to lower the speed limit in the Evening Telegraph last week.

Mr Wheway, who is a children's play advisor, said research showed that parents would no longer let their children out to play because they were so scared of speeding traffic.

Now parents living in the Treherne Road area in Radford have backed the scheme.

Mum Evette Hill, aged 24, a volunteer at Hill Farm School in Foster Road, said she could no longer let her children Sophie, three, and Stephanie, six, out to play with friends in the street.

She said her car had been written off and her fence knocked down by cars who took the turn from Rollason Road into

Treherne Road too fast over the past two years.

Neighbours have even made their own signs, saying Free Range Children, to put up in the road to try to slow drivers down.

She said: "We just can't take that chance. The situation is horrifying.

"It seems there would have to be a serious accident before anything is done.

"When I was young, we were able to play out in the street all the time, having water fights and making new friends. Our children just can't do that."

Mrs Hill said she would support any speed limit of 15 mph or below.

She said: "At least drivers would think about what they were doing."

I am concerned that the emphasis is on letting children play near traffic. Maybe I am missing something but I thought kids should play in parks not in the streets. We have a green that is 200 yards away and kids still play in the road..

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antera309

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:02

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Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2005 01:42
Posts: 686

An accident happens, locals call for a speed camera.

Camera fails to stop accidents, locals call for lower speed limit.

Lower limit still fails to stop accidents, locals call for and even lower limit.

At what point do they realise that perhaps otherwise legal drivers exceeding speed limits are NOT their problem?

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Dixie

Post subject: Re: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:16

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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 19:50
Posts: 3369
Location: Lost in the Wilderness

Quote:

"When I was young, we were able to play out in the street all the time, having water fights and making new friends. Our children just can't do that."

When I was young we used to play in the street, If I remember correctly my father was the first person in the street to have a car. Now everybody has cars, what does she expect? That’s why playing fields are build within housing estates, for children to play in.

I’d be interested to know if there is a playing field near where she lives?

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CJB

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:38

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Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2004 15:11
Posts: 271
Location: Birmingham

Ah, dear old Rob Wheway. I remember him walking out of what was then known as the "Social and Liberal Democrats" shortly after the SDP Liberal merger. Good to know he's still as wacko as ever!

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johnsher

Post subject: Re: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:49

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Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 00:04
Posts: 2311

Quote:

her children Sophie, three, and Stephanie, six

I'm sorry, but who in their right mind lets a 3 year old out unsupervised? Even 6 is pushing it.

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Patch

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:01

Former Police Officer

Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2004 00:27
Posts: 351

When I was young we used to play on the front gardens of the married quarters where we lived. IIRC there was a 5 mph speed limit in place

My 18 month old sister, was knocked down and killed by an ice cream van which was reversing at the time at probably one mile an hour.

There is no substitute for education and parental responsibility. Yes traffic management and speed restrictions have their place but they are not the panacea that these ill informed lunatics believe.

In the olden days when kids played on the streets, parents were sitting on doorsteps observing hanging out washing or whatever but there was nearly always a responsible adult with an eye on things. Parents today (I am one of them with two under 7) want to off load their kids so they can get some peace, Playstations have got too loud so they want to put them outside to play but they don't want to watch.

Parental responsibility is the key to safe playing areas for kids

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Gizmo

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:16

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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 09:16
Posts: 3655

Patch wrote:

Parental responsibility

I think this is the key.

A couple of years ago I was in a fast food joint with our kids. There was a Postman Pat ride thing in the corner where you sit in and watch a video while it slowly moves about on its pedestal. There was a big sign on it which said that kids must be supervised at all times. A rough looking family came in with hooligan kids sat in the corner on the far side and the kids promptly ran over and jumped on the machine climbing all over it. One kid stood on the top and another then went over and pushed him off. The kid fell and banged his head. To our amazement the mother eventually came marching over to us and tried to give my wife a bollocking for not stopping her kid from getting hurt. My wife responded with a lecture on parental responsibility and we marched off.

Unfortunately this is the society we now live in. We can let our kids run amok and always have somebody else to blame when the get hurt.

How many parents could be held criminally negligent when their kids get hurt through their neglect.

Its about time parents started to take their fare share of the blame.

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Steve

Post subject: Re: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:41

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Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:16
Posts: 7986
Location: Moved to London

Dixie wrote:

I’d be interested to know if there is a playing field near where she lives?

There are designated 'play-streets' in Germany (at least in Bavaria) where parks are not in the immediate vicinity.

These 'walking pace' only zones are clearly signed, are few and far between and only exist in sub-urban areas (mostly within cul-de-sacs) where drivers really shouldn’t be anywhere near 30 anyway.

This is an effective and reasonable system hence their drivers are happy to abide by it, but I fear this method will, as usual, be abused by the authorities if introduced in the UK.

edited for pic

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Last edited by Steve on Fri Nov 18, 2005 13:17, edited 1 time in total.

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r11co

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:46

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Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 15:05
Posts: 1225
Location: Glasgow

Gizmo wrote:

Its about time parents started to take their fare share of the blame.

It's going to be difficult considering that successive governments have condoned an education system that permits parents to blame teachers and schools for the indiscipline and therefor the poor educational performance of their children in the belief that somehow the education system will find the way to overcome problems created by the actions or inactions of parents. It is of course futile as parents have an infinitely greater influence over their children than teachers could ever have.

It is now an endemic problem in our society that, from the birth of their children onwards, parents seem to have every right to blame every issue they have with their offspring on someone or something other than themselves, and it leads to this sort of claptrap.

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Gizmo

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 13:01

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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 09:16
Posts: 3655

At least there are some who are trying to tackle the "parent" problem.

feature

Quote:

There should, argued the commission's chairman, Professor Sir Michael Rutter, even be a set age at which children are allowed to play outside their homes without parental supervision.

objection....

Quote:

"It's ridiculous," she said. "You can't say that a sensible eight-year-old like my son can't ride his bike out on the front, but a daft 10-year-old who lives by a busy main road can.

..... 8 years old unsupervised on the road

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Sam Dentten

Post subject: Re: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 14:11

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Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2004 13:07
Posts: 204
Location: Kent

Gizmo wrote:

CONCERNED mums and dads who fear their children could be knocked down and killed are backing a campaign to slash the speed limit to 8mph.

If this catches on I'm buying one of these

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stive gonzales

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 14:48

Gold Member

Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 14:55
Posts: 134
Location: Hérault, France

I'm intrigued. No, really.

What's so special about 8mph?

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Winston Smith

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 17:02

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Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:34
Posts: 55
Location: SE

Fatalities are not caused by excessive speed.
They are caused by 'inappropriate' speed.
There is a big difference.

I would imagine that a lot of you would agree.

Will discuss further when I get a minute.

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Rigpig

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 17:08

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Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 09:59
Posts: 3544
Location: Shropshire

stive gonzales wrote:

I'm intrigued. No, really.

What's so special about 8mph?

Its a damned sight safer than a deadly 9 mph, only lunatics go that fast.

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antera309

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 17:24

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Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2005 01:42
Posts: 686

Rigpig wrote:

stive gonzales wrote:

I'm intrigued. No, really.

What's so special about 8mph?

Its a damned sight safer than a deadly 9 mph, only lunatics go that fast.

Why don't they make it 3mph, then they could NIP people for walking too fast!!!

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Gixxer

Post subject: Re: Calls for 8mph speed limits

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 17:39

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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 09:01
Posts: 1548

Quote:

her children Sophie, three, and Stephanie, six

I would suspect that unsupervised children of that age are more likely to run in to a paedophile before they run in to the path of a passing car these days.

johnsher wrote:

I'm sorry, but who in their right mind lets a 3 year old out unsupervised? Even 6 is pushing it.

I agree completely Johnsher.
Only a lunatic would contemplate sending out children of that age on their own.

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nedsram

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 19:11

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Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 21:27
Posts: 247
Location: Near Stockport

Gizmo wrote:

Its about time parents started to take their fare share of the blame.

A couple of years ago in Manchester on a fairly quiet suburban street, a man opened his garden gate and crossed the street. He didn't shut the gate behind him, and as a result his toddler followed him, ran straight in front of a car, and was killed.

So what happened? There was an outcry about "speeding motorists" causing "danger to children by their reckless driving". Not long afterwards the street was traffic calmed. Very little was said about the irresponsibility of the father, who had caused the death of his child by wilful negligence. There was also no information on how fast the car was travelling when it struck the child. If a child ran out straight in front of a car doing 8 mph, there is a good chance that it would at the very least be seriously injured.

Closer to where I live, another road was traffic calmed after some nutter on a motor bike attempted 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, went out of control, crashed into a tree, and killed himself. I've mentioned that one elsewhere, but the point here is that this isn't in my view a reason for traffic calming a road either.

If all roads where a biker had killed himself by riding recklessly (or a child had run in front of a car) were traffic calmed, there wouldn't be many uncalmed roads left. As usual, penalise the long suffering motorist for problems which lie elsewhere.

Brian

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Johnnytheboy

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 19:24

Life Member

Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 21:17
Posts: 3734
Location: Dorset/Somerset border

What is it about "Free Range Children" signs that makes me retch?

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botach

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 21:37

Gold Member

Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 23:26
Posts: 9268
Location: Treacletown ( just north of M6 J3),A MILE OR TWO PAST BEDROCK

Now to help areas reclaim the streets and to try to get kids to play in safe areas Multi use games areas have been installed in this neck of the woods - probally have been in Coventry --securely fenced , well lit and away from the roads - http://www.sportengland.org/muga_part1.pdf

tells all.
Pity the parents weren't as keen on them as the kids - round here it was the kids that came up with the idea.

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blademansw

Post subject:

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 00:50

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Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2005 09:44
Posts: 516
Location: Swindon, the home of the Magic Roundabout and no traffic planning

Yet another stupid idea. As said previously, parental responsibility is the key.

The scammers would mint it in at 10% + 2 - 11mph. My speedo isnt that accurate!

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