Safe Speed Forums

It's true. On the approach to central Oxford on Saturday, I saw an illuminated information sign, advising that all side roads in the city are now

I was on my Yamaha XJ6 motorcycle, and turned left into one of the side roads just to see what conditions merit the new speed limit. The road was narrow, with cars parked on both sides, plus the usual hazards - houses not far from the road, people walking around, potential for children arsing about and stray animals. I rode at what felt like a sensible speed, and checked the speedo - 22mph - probably a true 20. In a car (wider and with a poorer view) I might even have gone more slowly.

So what is the POINT of these new limits? Clearly no sensible driver would want to do much more than about 20 in these conditions, and someone not so sensible is not going to moderate their speed on the basis of the new limit, as they know that cameras and police checks are unlikely. After all, the police cannot deploy a speed monitoring presence in every single street in the city.

What this 20 limit might do is cause normal drivers to scan for cameras while simultaneously gawping at the speedo, i.e. the limit will have the effect of distracting the driver from the job in hand - driving normally.

But it's a good political exercise, and Oxford CC can crow that they're "making the roads safer". In about a year's time, there will be some fiddled stats released to demonstrate that the policy has worked.

In my experience if you've got a 30 limit in an area that it would be clearly be mad to do 30 in a lot of people spend a lot of their time and effort TRYING to get to 30, resulting in hurried and overly agressive driving.

20 limits make the whole area a lot more chilled out.

And as for the assertion by Safe Speed that it means drivers will be looking at their speedos more (nay staring at them) I find I don't have to check my speedo at all in 20 limits as it's easier to "know" you are complying.

We already know you're in the minority when it comes to perception of what travelling speed should be. Don't judge others by your standards.

Again I ask you: Have you had any driving instruction above the level of average Joe since passing your driving test?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Can't see what that's got to do with it, but no.

Is that a requirement to be able to discuss road based safety issues now?

I don't find it difficult to judge my speed when I'm driving in a 20mph zone. Personally, I find it a lot easier to judge 20mph than say 40mph. I find myself checking my speedo more in 40/50mph limits than in 20/30mph limits.

There was a theory that suggested humans were only really designed to be able to judge speeds of upto 30mph because that was thought to be the fastest your legs could carry you. This all went back to when we were living in caves and hunting/gathering to survive. I didn't pay it too much credit before, but I think I can see a nugget of truth in it now...

... Most interesting....
The relevence is your standard of 'coping' relative to everyone else.


Why yes, of course it is
(that was sarcasm in case you didn't get it)

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

So you're trying to demean me in an effort to discredit my viewpoint.

What's this about attcking the words and not the poster?

Strangly enough I travel through Hyde Park on my cycle a lot, and I reckon MOST cyclists go through there too fast, and expect people to get out of their way, especially on the traffic Island in the middle of the gyratory.

I was trying to determine how you come to cope with low speed limits better than the majority.
That is not any form of put down. Wind your neck back in!

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Several reasons I think:

I view being allowed to move a one tonne vehicle in a public space at more than 0mph an extreme privilge that should not be sniffed at.

I tend to view journeys as part of the trip, rather than look at them as things to be over as quickly as possible.

I spend a lot of time on a cycle, and in towns and cities at least it's very clear to me there little or no point in travelling at more than about 10mph anyway, as that's as fast as you go over any distance. I nealy got swiped by a driver a while back and went after him on my pushbike to have a word, I'd caught him after a few streets, even though he was driving like a loon.

The number of times I see people travelling at a silly speeds just to spend more time in a queue of traffic is ridiculous.

I see people who try to drive or ride too quickly get themselves into all sorts of dead ends and scrapes, people that try to drive at speed often end up going slower than people that hang back and assess situations before they dive in.

Going too fast in and around residental or urban streets is antisocial.

Me to, It's one thing we have in common, which confuses me why our viewpoints differ so much but no matter...

I sort of agree; I would say 20mph though, not that my legs can maintain it very long.

I'm glad you're okay Got to be careful with that though. You never know what kind of loon is driving, which brings me onto a point I have often thought of raising...

Whenever I have been a passenger with someone I know well, I always notice how the way they drive reflects their personality. So I don’t see why we should expect an arrogant and selfish person with a disregard for another person’s feelings to be any different behind the wheel. As I see it, you are not going to change a driver’s habits any more than you can their personality.

Be careful next time weepej. If I am right, and I think I am, the stupid driver may do you harm for confronting him and his bad driving. Done it myself and I think I can handle myself, but even so - it's not a good idea

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

That doesn't address my response, unless you believe the majority don't understand this?
But then again, we know you're in the minority when it comes to desired motorway traffic speeds.

Like I said, you cannot judge others by your standards (which was my point).


I fully agree.
Cameras cannot stop people going too fast. Low limits won't do anything about people already whizzing around estates 30mph above the limits, especially those who set out to break the law.
Limits set too low, even in other areas (and the limit is set right for the vulnerable area), don't encourage obedience in any area - by anyone.


Me too

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

What about a 400Kg vehicle, would that be allowed to do 30mph?




My wife's car which has been used exclusively in 30mph limits over the last 248 miles has averaged 17mph in a pretty busy outer London borough.



I agree with you, i just do not see what 20mph speed limits will do about it though.

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

It certainly does.

It's not down to people level though, the same person can be a careful and considerate driver one day and a complete idiot the next (I've seen people turn into absolute tw*ts within the space of two seconds and then let a somebody out of a side road just down the road).

Compensation - Just in case someone is watching, even if it is their own minds eye, it shows that they are a nice, considerate driver really and that earlier behaviour was just down to someone else winding them up.

Control - Another vehicle pulling in front is fine if it is by your choice not theirs.

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

I really enjoyed my advanced courses. It is easy to become complacent and if you have a pair of objective eyes in your passenger seat giving constructive criticism you can improve your skills and hopefully expose and banish any bad habits you have developed. Give it a try

Rubbish! Or, more politely, your experience is very different from mine.

In my experience, these 20 limits make not one jot of difference, because most people (self included) would not want to travel along these minor roads much faster than that anyway. What sane driver turns into a residential side street and thinks "Must change down into second, must hit 30"... ? Anyone stupid enough to drive like that is probably wearing a baseball cap and listening to BOOM BOOM BOOM "music" on his overpowered stereo, and would be unlikely to slow down just because some 20 signs have appeared.

But... The problem we have is that in the Labour years, speed limits have been tinkered with in such a way that we now have a generation of drivers who interpret the speed limit as a target speed at which they must drive. Didn't we have a young driver in here, wondering how he could possibly make 60 on a particular road with a sign?

By the way, weepej - I went cycling through Hyde Park on Sunday - the best day to do it because as you know the park roads are closed to traffic. I didn't see any "speeding cyclists". They must appear mid-week.

I do it every morning and evening as part of my commute.

You're right, it is a lot more chiled out at the weekend.

Will be the leaisure/pleasure and not those "late for work"

(because they did not plan "Space and Time" into their journey


Odd how COAST always slots in ..

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