Pebble wrote:Mike Sales wrote:Pebble wrote: The new 20 is just penalising the good without making the roads any more welcoming to cyclists.
If drivers break the law they are penalising themselves. Unless you mean that having to drive at less than 20 mph is penal in itself.
may be I should of used the word inconvenienced, at times on wide deserted arterial routes into town 20 is unrealistically slow. And the only ones doing 20 are those drivers who never caused any problems for vulnerable road users in thee first place.
A a cyclist and a pedestrian I don't think the new 20 limit is bringing any benefits, those who were always careful drivers continue to be careful drivers, and those that have never cared less about rules continue in the same vein. You're as likely to have to endure dangerous uncaring drivers now as you were before the new 20 was introduced.
I campaigned for and I still welcome the new 20 but it needs enforcement. It is the bad drivers that need to change their ways, not the good ones.
I am afraid that making the roads more convenient and even safer for more vulnerable road users is going to inconvenience drivers. They will see this as penalisation, a war against motorists etc.
Drivers see the roads as their domain, to drive on as they see fit. 20 mph zones are part of an effort to make the roads fit for other types of user, for reasons I do not need to rehearse.
Even "careful drivers" who drive at the usual speeds on the public highway are complicit in making the road into the preserve
motors, in discouraging the use of the road by other modes. One cannot easily distinguish them from uncaring drivers.
The effort to make the roads civilised needs enforcement, of course. I tend to favour the black box speed limiter idea.
The effort needs to take space away from motor vehicles too. Building more and faster roads which are designed for a high throughput of motors needs to stop now too.
I found, in my short driving career, that keeping to the speed limit was a realistic target, whatever the limit was.
20 mph zones are a necessary part of the change we need, but not a sufficient one. I welcome all steps on the way.
Tackling your uncaring drivers is needed too. I would like to see car-crushing as a penalty for driving whilst banned, for instance. (Take the driver out first!)