Is 20 plenty? Is Wales right to introduce 20mph speed limits in all urban areas?

Wales will be introducing a default 20mph speed limit in urban areas from this Sunday, lowering speed limits nationwide from 30mph.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62134399

This has proved quite controversial with drivers, while the Welsh Government claim that it will reduce road deaths and injuries.

Do you support a reduction to 20mph in all urban areas? Or should 20mph limits be just for particularly dangerous areas such as outside schools?

Reply 1

hotpud

18

Original post by Saracen's Fez

Wales will be introducing a default 20mph speed limit in urban areas from this Sunday, lowering speed limits nationwide from 30mph.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62134399

This has proved quite controversial with drivers, while the Welsh Government claim that it will reduce road deaths and injuries.

Do you support a reduction to 20mph in all urban areas? Or should 20mph limits be just for particularly dangerous areas such as outside schools?

Given the average speed in most urban areas is something between 7 and 11mph and has been for over 150 years, I don't really see why people are so disgraced with this. It seems that the desire for private transport trumps absolutely everything including convenience (15 minute city idea), pollution and the niceness of an area blighted by traffic.

Reply 2

TheStupidMoon

13

Why is it always the minor countries in the UK that come up with these crackpot schemes?

Reply 3

SHallowvale

15

Yes.

The pro-car lobby is strong. We already sacrifice huge portions of our urban spaces to suit their needs, they can live with 20mph limits.

Reply 4

Rakas21

21

Original post by Saracen's Fez

Wales will be introducing a default 20mph speed limit in urban areas from this Sunday, lowering speed limits nationwide from 30mph.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62134399

This has proved quite controversial with drivers, while the Welsh Government claim that it will reduce road deaths and injuries.

Do you support a reduction to 20mph in all urban areas? Or should 20mph limits be just for particularly dangerous areas such as outside schools?

I lean No.

I'm a non driver and thus quite happy to assault the motorist normally and would cut the maximum speed limit however I don't believe the justification there since we are chasing marginal gains only. Statistics suggest that something 80% of people struck by a cat would die at 40mph but live at 30mph, therefore the grounds for the status quo are fairly strong.

Reply 5

StriderHort

21

Nah, but I'm a driver so would say that, is frustrating as hell being kept to that speed when you can see no good reason, by al means stick them outside schools, heavy shopping areas, bad roads with accident history etc, but if everything is a 20 then nothing is 20 if you get me.

Safety often seems to be the only voice put forward, they never want to acknowledge the fact that people use roads for things and that they facilitate their employment and goods. How willing are they to pay more or earn less?

My other worry is the busybody, the disputant who just doesn't like traffic and will keep complaining, but the thing is if a council gives in and changes a road to a 20, that same person will often just start complaining again that it should be a 15, they would never be happy, I suspect a lot of these weird local schemes are essentially the result of one local pest who caught the MPs ear and just won't shut up.

Is 20 plenty? Is Wales right to introduce 20mph speed limits in all urban areas?

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