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?

It happened. I have now seen it all here.

Wut? You go as fast as you can over speed bumps?

Wtf is wrong with what I've said? On streets where you've got cars parked either side because no one wants to use their drive you get through where you need to as quick as you can because you're all ducking and weaving. If you were all going at a snail pace no one would get anywhere. I don't break the speed limit even when it's 20 even it it shouldn't be but I do drive as fast as I can within it so we can all get to where we need to be.

I do try but there's a few 40mph roads here which have suddenly been dropped to 20mph. They're just straight roads, bushes either side, no pedestrians, parked cars or hazards as such and it feels like im driving extremely too slow. Lots of people tailgate me, flash me, edge over to the right like they're going to overtake. I reckon in the long run it will cause more accidents than people driving 40mph.

Yes. Which is not very fast. And once I'm past the speed bump I get faster. To the speed limit.

I actually hate 20 mph limits as nobody seems to keep to them so when I do I feel guilty for holding everyone up. So then I speed up to about 22 or 23 and feel guilty for breaking the speed limit. I also feel guilty for looking at the speedometer as this means I spend less time watching the road.
It’s quite wearing really.

I tend to do between 25-30 in 20 zones if it's not need a school/rush hour

I hand on heart do, but I seem to be one of very, very few who do. I usually get tailgated. Our village is now 20mph and there's no way that people stick to it -most still do 30 plus (it's a wide road with no bends)

I'm pretty dead on when it comes to speed limits, but I get a lot of aggro from other drivers for it.

It depends. During the day yes. Late at night, no probably not.

Roads with lots of parked cars and a 20mph limit are going to be really risky for kids stepping out.

Just slow right down, scan quickly back and forth and be ready to do an emergency stop if you need to.

I got caught doing 25 in a 20 zone. I had to have a speed awareness course and it cost me £91. I now creep along that road at about 18-20 and have irate motorists behind me but I can't afford to do it again. It's so easy to go over the 20, I had no idea until I got the letter, I spend my time now with my eyes going back and forth to the speedometer.

Yes, I get this too. It drives me mad. I didn't set the bloody speed limit, yet other arsehole drivers act like it's my fault when they're up my arse / overtaking me! 🤬

Mostly, except for a large, steep hill which has absolutely no reason to be 20mph.

If I drive at 20mph I am either revving the F out of 2nd gear or trying not to stall in 3rd.

It's no coincidence that since my cut introduced 20mph almost everywhere, the city's emissions have shot up.

Surely being able to check the speedo, whatever the speed limit, is a prerequisite of safe driving?

Well yea obviously. My original comment though was in response to a pp saying she got pissed off with people speeding up between speed bumps. Which I do because otherwise nobody would get anywhere. I'm not mowing down schoolchildren, just driving along a road.

Nope, it’s a ridiculous on some roads

20 mph is a weird in between speed for most gearstick cars though. Whether you're in 2nd or 3rd if you've got a half decent engine your cruising speed will be either well below (in 2nd ) or slightly above (in 3rd) - either way, as you're driving along you'll be having to look at the speedometer more frequently than you would in a 30 zone. And every time you look you take your eyes off the road. Maybe that's safer, statistically, than driving at 30. But as a driver it certainly doesn't feel safer having to do all those micro adjustments.

Ofc if you've got a nice big tesla the above doesn't apply.

Yes definitely, but not the 70 one on the motorway

Yes. Every time. Around here 20 mph speed limits apply in built up areas, near schools or in housing developments. I wouldn't take the chance of hitting a child (or anyone)

Glad I’m not the only one. I haven’t seen any mobile/fixed speed cameras before in a 20mph zone outside of London - are those who have been caught by one living in London or outside of it?I would be interested to know where you live if you’ve been caught speeding in a 20mph outside of London!

I’ve never been caught speeding and I don’t want to tarnish my clean record but more importantly - don’t want to kill/harm anyone.

it depends - we live in a borough that Is 20mph flat limit all over - so residential roads are 20mph but dual carriage ways and A roads it creeps up higher

We don't have many where I live on Wales and the ones we do have are usually by schools so definitely stuck to them.

However the Welsh government has decided to change all 30 roads to 20 throughout the country from September. I can't wait 🙄🤪

(I believe local councils can apply for some exemptions though)

I try but it can be hard with the steep hills, even cruise control struggles. Half the city nearby is 20 including major arterial roads