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?

Annoying, but then again, we don't get to pick and chose what laws we follow do we ?**

Don't we? 😆. Tbh some of the 20 roads by me like in the examples barely anyone sticks to the 20mph including busses and police. It's pretty much just driving instructors with students at the wheel that do. In built up areas or near schools most people, including myself do stick to it

Dear all,

I thought you might find interest in a campaign initiated by Luke Richardson, a PhD student from Sheffield who has personally experienced being hit by cars driving recklessly on three occasions.

In response to the news of ministers contemplating restrictions on councils' ability to implement 20mph zones, Luke has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining safe speed limits.

You have probably seen on the news that ministers consider curbs on councils’ use of 20mph speed limits.

Let's take a moment to consider the statistics: at 40 mph, there is a staggering 90 percent chance of a pedestrian being killed. Even at 35 mph, the likelihood remains alarmingly high at 50 percent. However, when we reduce the speed to 20 mph, the probability significantly drops to 2.5 percent.

Many 20mph zones around schools and residential areas were demanded by locals to ensure the safety of children.
That power shouldn't be removed from the people who know our areas best.

Please consider supporting our campaign to ensure the local council's don't lose their authority to implement 20mph zones! ^findothers.com/campaign/our20isplenty ^

We need your support!
Many thanks,
Ani

Yes I do. There are usually good reasons for the limit - and there are loasdw of speed cameras about.

You either need driving lessons or your car checking out if it cuts out. How do you park?

Yes, though there's not a lot of them in my area at the moment - I live in Wales though so we're about to have a lot more (Welsh government policy).

Only when I'm forced to- speed bumps, other traffic calming measures, schools, lots of parked cars etc. Otherwise, I probably do about 30.

Loads of places have 20mph limit through the centre of town now. I assume all traffic lights have speed cameras and behave accordingly. I do miss a manual gearbox though, I used to just drop it down into second. No speed limiter unfortunately.

I'm all for 20mph outside schools when schools are actually in - but not at 2am on a Monday morning.

Or 20mph on a country road because of 2 houses like we have near me.

Variable/time limited speed limits are much more likely to
be adhered to than blanket ones.

They recently made practically all roads in my city 20mph and it's shit because, prime example, you come off a main road to with ample crossings and pavements so wide you could fit a bus down them and STILL have ample room for pedestrians, which is a 20, into a road where children play / walk to school, with no pedestrian crossings, which is also a 20.

Not even the police drive at 20 on that main road, so it's seen as like a pointless speed limit now. 20mph limit used to actually mean something. I let my eldest daughter walk that way to school and cross the road herself from P4 / 8yo, but I am terrified to let my youngest do the same now and she's a year older because so many cars disrespect the limits now.

Personally I drive for the conditions and the layout of the road. I drive at 30 on the newly 20 main road because it's completely safe to do so, but I'd never break the limit in an actual 20.

They also took down the 20 when lights flash signs for the schools getting in and out because it doesn't make sense if the road is a 20 at all times, another huge mistake imho because now people just drive at 28-38mph at all times.

Yes, but echo that the ones around here are on roads that are not safe to drive at over 30mph on anyhow (parked cars, etc)

During the day, yes. After 8pm if the traffic is light, no. I drive to the conditions - weight of traffic, road surface, visibility, pedestrians etc.

In the 20mph zone on a major A road I mentioned earlier in the thread the council in their wisdom decided not to change the traffic light frequency - which caused absolute carnage as a major junction which would let x number of cars through at 25 mph now had to deal with the same volume of traffic going through at 15 mph (as most drivers slow down going through lights). Traffic built up in all the surrounding streets as they couldn’t get out, the queues coming up to the lights were far longer than normal and it took ages to get through the lights. Very few drivers or residents were sorry to see the limit go. I think most people want targeted 20mph in residential streets and outside schools etc, but not blanket limits on major roads, 24 hours a day.

I think I am more respectful of 20 mph limits than I am of other limits. They seem to send a really, REALLY stong message,ie: This place is not primarily for motorists. Your needs aren't the default here; drive as if you don't belong.

I think they just say ‘we’re paying lip service to road safety which could be managed far more effectively with targeted measures - but they cost money so instead we’re going to stick 20mph signs everywhere and hope some drivers follow them’.

Yes

Where I live we have three roads that run parallel to each other that have 20 limits on them (they were meant to be a trial and the council couldn't be bothered to remove the signs when it ended).

They run parallel to the main road which has a 30 limit - but speed bumps which mean you have to do 20.

It's all a bit silly. I would prefer one of the roads to have a 20 limit and cycle lanes - effectively a quietway, and the others to be 30.

I should say that you're hard pushed to do more than 30 along them anyway because there are parked cars both sides.

I think blanket 20 limits are pointless and it's better to choose certain roads to make quietways. Also, despite what the campaigns say, I think you use more petrol at 20 and therefore create more pollution. Of course, that won't be an issue once we are all driving electric cars, but that is some way in the future.

I mostly do, except on the one nearest to me which is more like 25 normally.

It's a baffling choice for a 20mph limit to be honest, as the road is wide, with huge wide green spaces either side, and whenever I travel on it, almost completely empty (pedestrians prefer the pathways on the far side of the grass to the road).

Hugely clear visibility of any pedestrians, and there isn't even a school.

Generally the 20 limits where I am it is not easy to drive any faster.

Speed bumps, parked cars, reduced visibility, cyclists and pedestrians. I don't want to drive any faster than 20, so the limit is fine.

IME I am much more likely to drive at 20 mph in a 20 limit and generally do so all the time.

On the motorway it's a completely different story.

I don't obey any speed limits so no.

It's the only one I do really stick to as there are usually schools around.

Yes. Why wouldn't you?