People ostentatiously driving at 20 in a 30 zone with plenty of space, no wandering children or other pedestriansa clear road ahead

[HauntedBungalow]

... please go at speed. You're slowing journeys for everyone else for no reason.

Plus, you're wankers.

It's not hard, just drive at 30.

🙄

You going at 30 could just as easily be the cause of you getting stopped at the lights. You could have just arrived too early.

Oh ffs hen get a grip. I can’t abide the “it’s a limit, not a target” brigade. Drives me mad when people parrot the same stupid catchphrases.

20 in a 30 fucks me off too, but it’s really not the end of the world.

Christ sake, 3 minutes 🙄

I’ve never seen this in real life but no doubt eleventy million MNers are about to descend telling us they never go above 15.

Thank fuck I live in a city where a car is a hindrance and we all operate at a far slower pace. Yes! A slower, but a more even and better pace.
In major cities where "traffic" works, the cars are the nuisance; you get used to the worst scenario and feel giddy excitement when you are ahead of time.
A "full three minutes" indeed. Perhaps build that into your journey..?

Are they from Wales? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🤣

This sounds like a you thing. You could choose to leave a few minutes early rather than choose to be stressy.

This drives me mad!
Most of our side roads are 20mph - including mine which is quite busy, bus route etc and people are usually doing at least 30 along it, which is too fast for the situation most of the time. People frequently drive at 40+.
But turn out of the end of the road onto the main road which is a 30 they slam the brakes on a crawl along at around 18!
This seems to happen regularly - it's as if their brains swap the limits or something.

i agree it’s annoying. It’s not enjoyable, driving at 20.

I never saw it until recently either, but now that some roads are 20 I've noticed numerous drivers who just go 20 everywhere, even when it's perfectly safe to do 30. It holds everyone up.

If you're near Windsor, it was me and I am Welsh!

Oh, if they’re in a residential area I appreciate that. People live on those roads and no-one likes growling engines zipping past. My experiences are perhaps shaped by once hearing the sound a seven-year old’s skull made as it broke on tarmac, so perhaps those without that experience may feel differently.

No, not residential and no skulls being crushed. But thanks for that.

I can't really imagine how someone can drive ostentatiously?! I would think that (boy racers aside) most people just drive in whichever way they feel is safest / most efficient rather than trying to make some kind of impression on other people?

It really doesn't hold you up.

I'm in London and the nob who speeds to overtake you always ends up stuck at the lights just in front of you anyway.

If three minutes is making you that stressed you need to leave a bit earlier. Could be anything that 'holds you up'- but it would only be very marginally, another car.

I also hate the ‘it’d a limit not a target’ brigade
when I learned to drive my instructor said to drive at the speed limit when traffic allows

so OP you are right, if it’s 30 and safe to do so people should not be fannying about at 20

I agree, they're very annoying. It's usually older people in a Honda Jazz round here. I swear the top speed in a Honda Jazz must be 30mph. I have a small car and run it on E5 petrol so I can get past all the dawdlers.

Let me guess, performative driving?

Maybe they shout 'woo woo, I'm going at 20!' as they drive, or have some sort of banner.

Or i suppose could post ostentatiously about it on mumsnet.

Do you drive? You must have noticed that drivers have their own "body language". There's a certain type of person, akin to "performative swing-pushing Dad", that likes to let everyone else on the road know how laid back and unbothered by petty notions like time and other people they are, who makes a point of leisurely driving at 20 on a clear unobstructed non residential road, wilfully ignoring the increasingly tense line of delayed drivers behind them.

That's who I'm talking about. And they are wankers.

Totally agree @HauntedBungalow

But then all the 20mph annoy me off too - why???
20 is so slow and unnecessary most of the time. If there were less 20mph then I'd more inclined to adhere to it but they're everywhere so it's meaningless to most people.

Yes I drive. Maybe I'm totally oblivious but it's never occured to me to make judgements about others based on their driving! I just concentrate on my own.

I got stuck behind a driver doing 18mph the other day, regardless of the speed limit which was mainly 30 before going into a 40 zone. He also spent a considerable amount of time with the driver side tyres actually on the white line and didn’t indicate at all. Not sure if he was drunk or just a really shit driver. It’s bloody annoying though when people dither around for no reason.

If you were being hit by a car i don't think the 20mph would feel unnecessary? Especially if you were a small, soft, child.

34% reduction in serious injuries and deaths in London since it was brought in.

Yeah a lot of the time I don't even get why it's there. I do notice it's more in effect in middle class areas with big houses. Same as parking restrictions (even though they all have bloody drives).