'Urban' speed limits from 30>20MPH?

I dont mind 20 pmh limits on narrow roads and around schools, places like that - to me, a 20 mph limit indicates that the zone is quite busy and / or dangerous. I tend to ride with alot of caution through these areas

But not everywhere...my road is a 30 mph limit, and kids all play in the street. Its quite safe, as long as the kids exersice caution.

Which all children should be taught, and that caution imposed on them often by their parents. Ok, so a pedestrian can step out onto a road, get hit by a car...but that pedestrian has a duty to look before they step out. I've lost count of how many suicide pedestrians I'cve jumped on teh brakes for! (most are middle aged people on mobile phones)

Matt

Originally Posted by Keith1983

Surely if there is to be some kind of review into how appropriate speed limita re surely they need to be looking further than just ubran areas and start looking at the possibility of increasing speed limits on motorways and other roads?

All speed limit changes require a review and notification for a period before they can be changed, if these actions are not follow then its as though the change never occurred.

Is that you Grinch teaching "don't play on the railway"

I'm saying, see that train... we don't want to be here...

Sod it - most of us will keep doing as we do now, maintaining the speed that experience tells us is safe and appropriate at the time, whether that's faster or slower than the posted limit.

I think a blanket 20mph speed limit would infact be counter productive in terms of slowing people in the really important areas where they are actually needed. We all speed occasionally in a 30 zone, as there are so many we don't really think anything of it. But when i see a 20 sign, i think "ay up, there is obviously a reason for that, best slow down". If everywhere were 20mph, we'd loose that distinction.

Also agree fully that if a kid steps out into a road, its not the car driver who is to blame, its the parents who let an untrained kid loose on it's own. Kids are smaller than many roadside objects (so hidden) and have no real perception of danger. Hit one at 10mph and they'll still probably end up dead - just don't allow anywhere near a road in the first place unsupervised!

Personally, I think all speed limits should be scrapped, and if there is an accident, then the speed of whoever (all both parties) should be examined and if inappropriate for conditions (near school, raining, snow, empty road) hit them with a real penalty (ban/lose license permanently/ 10% value of vehicle fine).

Here in the Socialist republic of Lewisham nearly all side roads have speed humps in them so cars cant speed without taking their exhausts off. There has been no consultation they just turn up and lay the things.

Personally, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if inner-city speed limits were reduced to 20 mph, as long as Motorway speed limits were increased to 100 mph.

In either case I believe that anyone caught doing speeds above 20 on an inner-city road and anyone caught doing a ton plus on motorways should receive harsh punishments - Am I being a tad controversial

Originally Posted by Mogs

Teaching kids to cross the road is the responsiblity of parents, and should not be palmed on to teachers, if it were there would be too much H&S involved

Eh? So what happens if a teacher has to take a class accross the road to the playing fields? Phone up all the kids parents to see if they've been trained Some parents don't know how to cross the road properly.

Road saftey has always been part of primary education since time began. It's the responsibility of teachers and parents. As for too much H&S - thats ********. Teachers/schools etc go through the most rigorous H&S checks for just about anything you can think of in terms of child safety.

EDIT: In Scotland it's a joint effort between the Police, the Education departments and the schools. I know this for a fact because I spent 3 years working on an educational multimedia project with Tayside Police and the Tayside Council.

Here's a question for everyone. What's the purpose of the black bar in the lolipop man's sign?