Do you obey 20mph speed limits (be honest)?

[Londre]

Where I live, the council has turned into our neighbourhood into a 20mph zone. Thankfully my car has cruise control which can be set at 20mph so it isn’t a problem for me but I’ve noticed some people are overtaking me! It’s a very pedestrianized area with a school, lots of shops and quite busy so quite surprised.

Do you obey 20mph speed limits? If not, why?

No and the council realised they were ridiculous as they'd extended them outside of the town and have now removed them. 30 absolutely respect and always adjust my speed down if near schools/built up areas/country lanes etc.

Yes, if anything I am more diligent about it as around me the 20 limits do reflect that it is very built up and/or there is a school and the risk is genuine. Compliance is quite good where I am (probably because it's a logical limit) so I am rarely tailgated.

Depends on the road. Tight residential ones with rows of parked cars, it’s impossible to really go any faster especially when you probably need to pull in at some point as there’s something coming in the opposite direction. Anything near a school obviously stay at 20. But A roads I’ll go at the speed of the traffic which is typically 23-25 because even the buses don’t go at 20. Our borough was trying to enforce the 20 limit but got told to stop it and now they’re no longer allowed to get driver details from the DVLA.

Depends. If I am driving past a school then I doubt I even do 15mph. There are always parked cars and kids everywhere.

It it's late at night then no I don't do 20 everywhere.

If you saw the roads near us that have 20mph limits- some are like dual carriage ways. This is what happens when councils just see money signs and no logic. Of course in residential streets, etc they need to be 20 but on some of our large open roads it’s just a money scam. Even TfL and the police aren’t doing 20 on those roads in south east London!

Yes.

Odd question, really. What laws do you pick and chose to obey ?

(Well, odd, for MN. Not for any government minister though,)

When I commute it can take me through a series of 20mph zones - making it just over 3 miles at 20 mph.

They haven't yet put up entry/exit cameras but it's been timetabled in. Will be interesting to see how many people it catches because some people struggle with concept of zones.

Every road in our Borough is a 20 unless it's an A or B road, apart from one or two exceptions. No reason at all.
In fact most of the primary schools are no on designated school streets, so you can't even drive along them between about 8-10 and 2-4 unless you have a resident's permit.

Around schools, yes.
On my local high street, yes.

The road parallel to the high street that has no need to be a 20, no.
The road through the village on my commute that I never see a pedestrian or other car on the road, no.

Not that I'm treating the roads as a racetrack, I'm usually going around 25-27mph.
Never overtaken anyone and never been overtaken either.

Yes. Our village high street is a 30 limit but I think should be 20. Most people are sensible but you always get the boy-racers.

I got caught twice in 6 months (when my Dad was terminally ill). 1st time, I was doing 43mph in a 40 limit, 2nd time I was doing 73mph in a 70 limit. I wasn't driving dangerously or recklessly endangering my own life or anyone elses, it was just about the money. Now I've set the car to chime if you are 1mph over the speed limit and I get people driving up my arse/flashing lights/overtaking on a daily basis.

Can't bloody win.

I asked my local councillor to make my road 20mph and according to him it doesn't work because nobody sticks to it.

Our road is a death trap. Narrow country lane which is a shared space for cars, pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and dog walkers. We have lots of cyclists and pedestrians. The speed limit is 30 and most drivers break it. A cyclist or pedestrian or horserider is going to get killed eventually.

Sometimes. But most are not appropriate for the location. 20mph zones have no safety implications, the recent reciew done by North Wales Police on the issue confirmed that "there is no meaningful reduction in serious injuries or deaths".

20mph zones are simply a coercive measure to create a hostile environment for drivers. Scandinavian style "cycle centric neighbourhoods" DON'T work in the UK. Our weather, and more our topography is different.

Governments don't want people being able to travel independently, it makes controlling our movements more difficult. Mass transit systems can be shut down at will, and oyster style cards give a perfect record of indivdual movements. But most people are too easily manipulated by "eco terror" to be able to see the truth.

Yes. Although some of them aren’t enforceable apparently (something to do with whether an official traffic order has been issued).

Edinburgh generally is surprisingly laissez faire about speeding, I’ve noticed. When I lived in London most people stuck to the limit. Here in Edinburgh it’s a comparative rarity. They’re building a new junction and doing associated work on the A1 at Newcraighall and what is normally a 50 zone is currently a 40. No one observes it. (Except me.) No one. It’s bizarre.

Tou wouldn't have been prosecuted for 43 in a 40. Or for 73 in a 70.

99.99 percent of Police Forces adhere to the old ACPO guidance of 10% +2mph before enforcement.

What was the actual charge?

No, they've changed our whole town to 20. I obey the limit near schools and on housing estates but not on other roads

Yes. I'm the type who trundles along at 17/18 just to be sure.

Most of the places that have them near me, are in places where you would naturally slow to that speed anyway - bendy road, parked cars etc. so yes.

Yes I do try and keep to the speed limit. However there is a 20mph limit near me that starts just as you come downhill after reaching the top of a hump backed bridge, which is quite difficult to slow down enough in time.

In parts of Bristol a 20mph limit is seen as an unachievable target because the traffic is so slow!

I don't know if I buy this idea that councils often put speed limits only to make money, although 1. God knows they have to get it from somewhere. 2. It is easy to avoid paying the charge.

Of course. They’re there for a reason, even if it’s annoying.

Yes I do. I live on a road with a 20 mph limit, which was brought in after many years of residents campaigning following a number of accidents and injuries caused by people driving too fast. There have also far too many cats run over, to the point where two of the local cat rescue organisations refuse to rehome any cats in my road.

Please can you link to the North Wales police report because all the evidence I've ever seen on 20mph v 30mph speed limits makes it clear it is a much safer speed in terms of pedestrian collisions.

Also can you explain exactly why the government wants to control our movements?

Really gets my back up when you consider blind country lanes are still 40mph!

Yes, I do, it's something I feel passionately about. It's undoubtedly safer for more vulnerable road users. Also, where I live there are clear environmental benefits - we're in quite built up area with a fair amount of traffic and lots of traffic lights etc and if the limit were 30mph there would be an awful lot more speeding up and braking, which is hugely polluting, whereas if you travel at a steady 20mph there's none of that, and you still get to your destination at the same time.

The 20mph roads around me are choked with cars parked either side and it's a slalom course. You could do more than 20 but I think you'd quickly end up colliding with something.