Speed Awareness Course

[Lons]

And that silly person is never us is it?

Well not me, certainly not in built up areas apart from once fractionally over as measured exactly on the 30mph sign and so I attended the awareness course 5 years ago ( I'd overtaken a tractor/trailer), safely and was slowing rapidly without hard breaking. One of my neighbours is a traffic cop who later said it was marginal, I should have challenged it and that the camera team were very likely short of their quota. However I was over even though only 4mph so accepted the punishment.

Are you saying that you are a "silly" person then?

 

[artie]

It’s only roads that are not wide enough to support two vehicles at once,

That's not what you said and I quoted.

I do support the idea that the speed limit should be 20mph on all roads that have residential or publicly accessible commercial premises as well as all single track roads (those without a center white line)

Almost all roads have residences and an awful lot have commercial businesses.

I live 6 miles from the nearest town, 2 miles from the nearest village on a B road, there is a residence probably every half mile on average and apart from my own, at least three commercial businesses.
If you are in favour of turning all the roads like this into 20 mph zones that's your prerogative.
I don't think it's feasible or desirable.

“except motorways” is a gross overstatement.

see above

 

[Chris Harris]

You shouldn't assume that this is always the case throughout the day. There are busy periods known as "rush hours" which can mean more pedestrians and cyclists, as well as more vehicle traffic. And even the odd straggler needs protecting from bad driving.

Consider public transport alternatives next time?

so what are you complaining about?

One would hope they are paid overtime and sanctioned if caught speeding

Dunno, something seems to be working, if you look at the figures @artie provided - massive fall in accident rates over a 19 year period. Whatever it is, we need more of it!

IMHO the roads that most need 20mph are those which look safe but have hidden dangers. We have had a pilot 20 near us for months and people complained that a stretch of country road was included. For much of the day it appeared quiet, but there is no footpath or off road safe areas so pedestrians have to try and get into the bushes and drivers must brake on meeting walkers. At school moving times it was full of children. At 4pm on a winters night? Dangerous. We must accept apparently unnecessary restrictions are made for good reasons.

 

[Jacob]

.....( I'd overtaken a tractor/trailer), safely and was slowing rapidly without hard breaking. ....

 

[sploo]

In addition to his (ex) GBeebies outpourings he posted a video backing and encouraging the “Bladerunners” (self styled vigilantes cutting down ULEZ cameras). He said he would join them, buy and supply angle grinders and so on, hence the arrest and house search, which he live streamed smoking a cigar al la Mr A Tate.
If they have a chat room, forum, FB page I imagine plenty of discourse on brands, batteries and grinding wheels. Possibly.
Yep, a colossal indeed, along with the Rev boy and the pound shop Kiwi import.

Good grief. He's "special" isn't he.

 

[paulrbarnard]

That's not what you said and I quoted.

I do support the idea that the speed limit should be 20mph on all roads that have residential or publicly accessible commercial premises as well as all single track roads (those without a center white line)

Almost all roads have residences and an awful lot have commercial businesses.

I live 6 miles from the nearest town, 2 miles from the nearest village on a B road, there is a residence probably every half mile on average and apart from my own, at least three commercial businesses.
If you are in favour of turning all the roads like this into 20 mph zones that's your prerogative.
I don't think it's feasible or desirable.


see above

And I live in a similar location but on an unclassified road that has no white line down the middle and is national limit. It’s twisty and one car needs to stop to let another pass. There are often pedestrians, cyclists and horses. There are houses every now and then along the whole route. So yes I absolutely do think these roads should be 20, or at a maximum 30mph.

I think it is very selfish to want to drive fast past someone else’s house. It’s their safe place after all and I find it disturbing that someone passing through has the ability to ruin a life.

 

[Jacob]

Tory policy to do nothing about housing or house prices.
It's wildly inflationary as we all know, but it benefits existing property owners in higher sales prices or rents charged.
Profits then go to buy more property and carry on pumping up prices.
It's also heavily subsidised by the tax payer via housing benefits and other minimal attempts to house the less well off, which creates a "perfect storm" of inflation. This redirects taxation back into the pockets of wealthy property owners.
It has also created a new huge class of landlords who own just one or two properties and live off the backs of their neighbours.
Crude capitalism woven into the fabric of society and difficult to disentangle. If you own even one empty property it is earning money by inflation, probably more than you could earn by working
It benefits the wealthy so tends to get ignored in all conversations about inflation, even though for half the population it is an ongoing ever present inflationary disaster, dominating their lives.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...n-developed-world-to-find-housing-says-report

 

[Tom K]

Another Tory lie

You are saying I’m a Tory?

 

[Tom K]

And I live in a similar location but on an unclassified road that has no white line down the middle and is national limit. It’s twisty and one car needs to stop to let another pass. There are often pedestrians, cyclists and horses. There are houses every now and then along the whole route. So yes I absolutely do think these roads should be 20, or at a maximum 30mph.

I think it is very selfish to want to drive fast past someone else’s house. It’s their safe place after all and I find it disturbing that someone passing through has the ability to ruin a life.

But you moved there knowing it was a national speed limit Road surely?

 

[sploo]

You are saying I’m a Tory?

I think the point was probably that it was another one of those "here's something awful that we've stopped" type stories (where the "awful" thing never existed in the first place).

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.theguardian.com/society...n-developed-world-to-find-housing-says-report

Hardly surprising when we've allowed a 10,000,000 increase in population over twenty years.

 

[artie]

And I live in a similar location but on an unclassified road that has no white line down the middle and is national limit. It’s twisty and one car needs to stop to let another pass. There are often pedestrians, cyclists and horses. There are houses every now and then along the whole route. So yes I absolutely do think these roads should be 20, or at a maximum 30mph.

I think it is very selfish to want to drive fast past someone else’s house. It’s their safe place after all and I find it disturbing that someone passing through has the ability to ruin a life.

Thank you, it's taken quite a bit of back and forth so I can understand your viewpoint.

I just don't agree with it. I feel I have have to live with the world, the world doesn't have to live with me.

I don't think it's selfish to drive past someone's house at the posted limit. It would be selfish to drive through their garden or driveway at the national speed limit.

I wouldn't call the road outside my house my "safe place" that's why I stop and look both ways and listen before I leave my driveway, whether by car, cycle or foot.

 

[Jacob]

Hardly surprising when we've allowed a 10,000,000 increase in population over twenty years.

It's less than that - 8m not 10m. And a much smaller % than most other developing countries so we are still s**tmost at housing.

 

[Tom K]

I think the point was probably that it was another one of those "here's something awful that we've stopped" type stories (where the "awful" thing never existed in the first place).

Sorry mate I don’t understand were the godawful 60’s housing developments a lie or is it the 15 minute city idea that’s a lie?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's less than that - 8m not 10m. And a much smaller % than most other developing countries so we are still s**tmost at housing.

8m? That's ok, then. Developing Countries don't import their population increases.

 

[sploo]

Sorry mate I don’t understand were the godawful 60’s housing developments a lie or is it the 15 minute city idea that’s a lie?

I think it's the 15 minute cities thing. Not that I know what a 15 minute city is, to be honest.

 

[RogerS]

I assumed that was your usual patronising tone, but it's nonsense, anyway, as either you consider yourself royalty, "we" means both of us, or your using it in the "how are we today?" sense. All of those interpretations include me.

Whatever.

 

[Tom K]

I think it's the 15 minute cities thing. Not that I know what a 15 minute city is, to be honest.

Thanks for clarifying it’s an area with all amenities within a 15 minute walk, I can’t do a 15minute walk since I broke my back and pelvis so it doesn’t appeal to me either

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The statistics are clear - speed vs probability of pedestrian severe injury or death increases geometrically. At 20mph = ~10%, 30mph = ~33%, 35mph = ~50%, 40mph = ~75%+.

Average speed in urban areas tends to exceed the posted limit (congestion permitting). Limits are usually policed (if at all) allowing some margin - eg: up to 35mph in a 30mph limit.

Simple observation - In a 30mph limit cars may typically travel at 30-38mph. I probably frequently do this driving at the speed of the prevailing traffic.

Reducing the limit to 20mph in appropriate areas thus probably reduces actual speeds to 20-25mph making a substantial difference to severe injury or death.

To be sustainable these limits either need to be rigorously enforced or have the support of the majority of drivers (or both). Thus limits should be imposed only where appropriate, not as blanket area limits.

 

[paulrbarnard]

But you moved there knowing it was a national speed limit Road surely?

The bit where the village is is 30mph but all the roads leading to the village are national limit and single track as mentioned. A lot of people walk between the surrounding villages because we have a shop and post office. Those people are often confronted by a car coming around a corner at significant speed. People often have to jump in to the hedge. That should not be needed.