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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 22:47 
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Eastern Daily Press here
EDP24 -Charlotte Orson wrote:
Calls for city-wide 20mph speed limit
by Charlotte Orson Thursday, June 23, 2011
10:06 AM

CALLS have been made for a city-wide 20mph speed limit in Cambridge.

Cambridgeshire County Council introduced a trial 20mph limit in August last year on city centre streets bounded by the inner ring road and the river - with the exception of Victoria Avenue – and ‘subtle’ signage was erected.
But a speed survey revealed that motorists actually sped up following the introduction of the 20mph zone.

In February last year the average speed was 18.7mph in King Street - which rose to 23.4mph in October after the lower limit zone was implemented.
At a meeting on Tuesday of Cambridge City Council’s west/central area committee, councillors discussed increasing signage – including adding markings to the road surface - to further encourage motorists to slow down.

Some streets being 20mph and other central streets – such as Victoria Avenue and side streets off Grange Road – remaining 30mph was also raised.
Committee chairman Cllr Julie Smith said: “You may not notice cars are travelling at 20mph on Grange Road but when you turn onto the side roads and see the 30mph sign cars speed up. A city-wide 20mph zone would be fantastic.
“If we were able to have a sign saying 20mph when you enter the city and 30mph when you’re leaving the city, it would make sense.”
Leader of the city council Cllr Sian Reid backed the call for a 20mph limit throughout the city.

She said: “I think it’s very important for cyclists and children’s safety as well as quality of life for residents. We should not give up on this.
“I would like to see driving at 20mph becoming the dominant driving culture of the city.”
As reported in Cambridge First, the number of accidents fell from an average of 3.64 a month to 2.75 in the first eight months of the new 20mph zones being introduced.

Do you agreed all city roads should have 20mph speed limits? Email us at cambridgefirst.co.uk

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 22:53 
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All I have to say is, WHY???? FFS!!! :headbash:

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 23:01 
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Eastern Daily Press wrote:
...But a speed survey revealed that motorists actually sped up following the introduction of the 20mph zone. In February last year the average speed was 18.7mph in King Street - which rose to 23.4mph in October after the lower limit zone was implemented.


and...

Eastern Daily Press wrote:
As reported in Cambridge First, the number of accidents fell from an average of 3.64 a month to 2.75 in the first eight months of the new 20mph zones being introduced.


and...

Eastern Daily Press wrote:
Do you agreed all city roads should have 20mph speed limits? Email us at cambridgefirst.co.uk


Well, I think the answer, based on those facts quoted from their article, has to be a resounding "YES - but only if the limit is then widely ignored and exceeded"! :roll:


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 23:28 
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The people who dream these up, obviously haven't tried driving about 4-5 miles at a constant or maximum 20MPH. I would sooner get out and drag myself across the city by my tongue, i think.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 02:50 
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If they target bicycles too they will probably find that many are also exceeding the 20mph limit too ! Certainly it is a 'bike city' and not that geared up to encourage vehicular access !

If people wish to get involved in road safety and setting speed limits then they have a duty to also understand the much data and statistics on road safety so that decisions are at least generally informed than guessed at - after all lives might depend on it!

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 04:21 
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More 20 zones. Great. That is sarcasm by the way.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 08:24 
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Just up the road from me in Salisbury, the city centre is a 20mph zone. This is appropriate as many streets are narrow and crowded in this ancient city. However, I have never seen any specific enforcement of this zone. It is more like the signs and road markings are an aspiration and give advice to "mind how you go" in the city and this works well. In some wider roads you may drift up to 30mph but this does not matter.

The proposed enforcement of these zones by average speed cameras is pointless. What is the object? Typically the proposers of this course of action are focussed on stopping people exceeding a numeric limit and not on improving safety. This would be enforcement for its own sake like putting up a sign saying "Do not throw stones at this notice."

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:48 
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I still hate 20 zones. Having people drive properly and according to conditions and you would have no need of them. As Malcolm has said, they are largely meaningless. The thing with bureaucracy is that it is self-perpetuating. Everyone in power wants to make their mark. The previous administration had 30mph in built up areas - let's make it 20mph and we can all feel good about ourselves and sleep safer in our beds knowing we have made the world a better place. I have yet to see a 20mph zone yet that was warranted and London's full of them. Narrow streets, obscured visibility, cars parked either side etc. all can call for 20mph or less. You don't need a sign to tell me when 20 mph is all that is appropriate, I can work that out for myself.

The thing becomes a problem as most 20 mph roads can be quite arbitrary - in London you get tiny, narrow car-filled streets that are 30mph and they join onto a big, wide clear road with great visibility and it's a 20 limit. This infuriates me no end. The other thing is in the rare chance that say it was applicable as a 20 zone, it wouldn't be at all times of the day. It is almost impossible to stick to 20mph for the sake of a sign alone if all other factors indicate the road safe for 30mph (as up until fairly recently they were) - if there is a reason I deem it unsafe to exceed 20mph then obviously I slow down and adjust my speed accordingly to whatever hazard/conditions have been identified. All in all 20 zones are mostly ridiculous. A waste of signs. We seem intent in this country in legislating common sense. The amount of unnecessary crap on our roads, the completely redundant signs and warnings for this or that fills me with dread - either people who are driving are brain-dead and should not be on the road or the powers that be really think we are all morons. 20mph zones are just an extension of that. It's an over-cautious, if-it-saves-but-one-life-no-matter-the-consequences-it's-worth-it philosophy that seems all too prevalent in today's risk averse society and I don't like it.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 18:03 
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Where do they go from :20: ?
:10mph: , perhaps?
Or doesn't it have a nice soundbite, like "Twenty's plenty"?

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 00:37 
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SafeSpeedv2 wrote:
...If people wish to get involved in road safety and setting speed limits then they have a duty to also understand the much data and statistics on road safety so that decisions are at least generally informed than guessed at - after all lives might depend on it!


Just as well you didn't include people who get involved in enforcing speed limits then! :wink:


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PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2013 19:05 
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So the sandal wearing, bike hugging, car hating council in Cambridge are driving forward a 20mph city wide limit, all in the name of reducing accidents and pollution. Driving at 20mph improves traffic flow? What traffic flow? They are determined to drive the car out of Cambridge step by step. I expect the congestion charge to raise it's ugly head again soon

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/20mph-speed-limit

Quote:
Among the speakers at the event at the Guildhall was Rod King, director of the 20’s Plenty For Us campaign group.

Talking to the News afterwards, he said: “We all want our places to be better places to be, with more choices for people to walk and cycle.

“There are huge disadvantages with a 30mph limit, because people feel intimidated by the speed of the traffic, children aren’t allowed to walk or cycle to school, and elderly people feel they can no longer walk to the shops.”

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambrid ... 161427.htm


How on earth did we manage all these years where the speed limit was 30mph?

"...people feel intimidated by the speed of the traffic..."

No, people feel intimidated by the reckless and dangerous manner that a huge portion of the cycling community ride their bikes around the city.

"...children aren’t allowed to walk or cycle to school..."

That's because the parents don't allow the kids the freedom to walk or cycle to school - they prefer to ferry them around in their cars! Mind you at 20mph that will soon become tedious....

"...elderly people feel they can no longer walk to the shops."

Shops? Shops? There are no more shops within walking distance of many old people. And then when they do, they get intimidated by the twats on bikes riding like they are in the Tour De France....

Feeble reasons....


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PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 02:46 
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Never mind all the serious arguments that show accident KSI go up in 20mph zones!
However removal all the vehicles and then all the people have to travel out of town to shop and the high street dies.
His reasons are invalid and rubbish. :headbash:

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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 23:42 
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To encourage anything like the :20: zones, you have first to EDUCATE the idiots. Sunday, I set off down my road. It's a very narrow road, with kids playing out at all times. Tjis was Sunday at 10 am, so i could expect kids coming out from behind/in front of any of tghe parked cars and my speed was at most 10 mph . but madam idiot was close enough behind me to wipe my rear window. Round the corner ,I paused on a humped island to let a car cross in front( I'D RIGHT OF WAY, BUT it's sometimes safer to let idiots pass ). Next thing, madam had decided that she's had enough, and overtook me on the junction .

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