20mph speed limit....for or against?

Absolutely against, apart from school roads and similar. Driving at such a low speed causes pollution, which the powers that be need to justify this war against motorists.

Chestnut

I think you are right by saying this and don't forget under the influence of drugs too!!!

[I think the problem is not the statutory speed limit but the way people drive. We have speeding, drink driving and selfish behaviour on the roads, which have nothing to do with the speed limit.]

Against apart from outside schools as it was.
Apart from the money implementing this has already cost, I think people will choose not to visit Wales if they have an alternative. I live just a mile from the England/Wales border and have always gravitated towards Wales because that’s where I grew up, but now I will choose England. The already beleaguered shops, pubs and restaurants will close causing irreparable damage to the Welsh economy. The Welsh Government are meant to serve us but never as much as seek our views. Emissions will be worse - just a scam to get more money out of us.

Casdon

My driving instructor, umpteen years ago told me to drive in the gear of the speed zone I was in to avoid speeding, and I’ve always done that - it works fine.

That may have been good advice years ago but cars have improved since then. My car wants to be in 3rd gear at 20, 4th gear at 30, 5th gear at 40 and 6th gear at 50 plus. To drive in a gear too low for the speed increases both fuel usage and emissions. Bad idea on both counts.

We’ve had 20mph speed limit on residential roads in this area for at least 5 years , there was no consultation,it just happened ! As far as I know there have been no problems or objections.
The only thing that is ridiculous is the speed signs are on some roads which are so short you’d be hard pressed to get above 10mph!
Apparently the bill was £9,000,000 but if one life is saved I think it’s worth it.

From the article above:

Hilden in Germany brought in a 30 km/h (19 mph) in 1991. They found that:

‘the roads were safer, more people cycled and walked and, as the proportion of motor vehicles reduced, air quality improved.’

Spain has had the same limit on single-lane streets in all cities since 2021. The head of Spain’s National Road Safety Observatory said:

‘There are no big delays, there is no congestion. There is no increase of pollution. Everything becomes normal, and everything gets better.’

‘Last year the number of pedestrians killed in Spanish cities was 14 per cent less than in pre-pandemic levels, with even fewer deaths among the elderly’, says The Times.

The risk of a pedestrian being killed when hit by a car is five times lower at 20 mph than at 30 mph.

Statistics!!! How many accidents or deaths are caused by drivers driving at 30 mph rather than 20 mph. I understand that the faster you drive the more hurt you can cause but exactly how many accidents have been caused by drivers driving at 30 mph? We never get the actual figures. Same with doctors and nurses pay. I have never heard any of them tell an interviewer exactly what their last pay was. Always estimates.

I was convinced by this article.

apple.news/ApOMbVJHjTdq6XiVLgXX-rQ

Totally agree Jan135!

Lots of 20mph roads where I live but I am outskirts of London, I don’t have a problem with it.

Mt61

Plenty of 20mph in the lancs area, I do between 15/18 mph because cars are double parked on our rd but I’ve seen people come through at 40mph! I would rather council/ police put up signs/cameras rather than speed bumps! I am against 20 everywhere & all for common sense

I’ve watched cars slow down for those signs that tell you your speed, with a smile if you are within the limit. More useful than 20mph, but those who ignore whatever speed limit are unaffected by those too.

Try driving it
Feels a bit like curb crawling
Not that it’s one of my past times

Plenty of 20mph in the lancs area, I do between 15/18 mph because cars are double parked on our rd but I’ve seen people come through at 40mph! I would rather council/ police put up signs/cameras rather than speed bumps! I am against 20 everywhere & all for common sense

I live in London which is almost all 20mph now apart from a few faster stretches. You get used to it, though it takes time to reprogramme your brain - if you have data coming in from outside at 30mph there is a lot less at 20mph so the tendency is to speed up to get more info coming in, subconsciously. You catch up with everyone at the next traffic lights, average speed in a city is below 20mph anyway so everyone doing the same is better all round and safer.

If ever I doubted it, I'm a convert since I was hit by a car recently. I bounced but was quite bashed up. Two things saved me from bigger damage - the 20mph limit, and the removal of those mascots from the bonnet of cars, so instead of being disembowelled I rolled off the bonnet. [Good job it wasn't an SUV with the high flat front.]

I’m definitely in favour - but. They need to police the existing speed limits more rigorously. I drive at 7am and in my town about 50% of cars are driving much faster than 30.

Haven't we always had to keep an eye on the speedometer? There have been speed restrictions for a very long time.

I'm dead set against the lowered limit. Although EVs will be able to go further between charges other cars with diesel and petrol engines will create more pollution because they'll be in a lower gear at higher engine revs more of the time and will take longer to get to your destination.

25mph is a much better speed than 20mph & 35mph for 40mph areas- just common sense to slow right down around, schools, older people’s community homes, hospitals & where people tend to double park. Crazy to be alway watching the speedometer

I live in a 20 mph zone. Absolutely useless, ignored most of the time, especially by locals. Unless there is proper provision for applying the ru3les eg cameras to catch perpetrators, are all over the place, waste of time.

I live in Wales and agree with Jan123. It is making daily life more difficult. It is lazy law making in my opinion, instead of looking at areas that would benefit from speed curbing they have made a blanket rule which has left them looking ludicrous.

Ruins normal car engines, much dirtier exhaust fumes, very had to concentrate on the road. So against as a 'rule' for large areas. But very much for, on narrow roads where vehicles park on both sides and where there are lots of pedestrians.

Why are people assuming that it's only children who need protection from the impact of a ton and a half, or more, of rapidly travelling metal?

I live in Wales and it is a mess. Yesterday I travelled 4 miles to Aldi. In that short distance the speed limit changed 10 times anything from 20 to 40. Had to watch the signs and Speedo constantly with someone driving right up close behind for most of the time.
The petition to repeal it has now reached 432.500 and yes I signed it.

Nanatoone

Absolutely against, having to watch your Speedo at all times is dangerous. You need to be watching the road and traffic and what’s going on around you. Most accidents resulting in death are from people in excess of the speed limit and not the 20MPH. It’s madness in my view and will increase emissions due to the slow speed and frustration all round. I won’t be going to Wales in the foreseeable and that’s a shame as it’s a lovely country with lovely people. This is not a sensible step at all.

I live in Wales, yes sometimes is a bit of a pain going through an extended 20mph zone, but I am for it in general. You can set a speed alert on your car (well most cars anyway) - so you get a warning beep if you go above the limit - so no need to 'keep an eye constantly on the speedo'! Also using the satnav will highlight your speed - showing red when you go above the speed limit (though true to say the satnav has yet to catch up with some of the 20mph zones). I live in a rural village and was desperately hoping that our 30 limit would be lowered to 20 - no such luck :-( However, there will always be idiots around....some still speed through our little village and I suspect changing the limit here would make no difference whatsoever to the reckless and irresponsible!

In London there has been a huge increase in the number of 20 mph zones but it is much less of a problem beause the average speed of the traffic in central
London is generally around 13 mph or less. There are still many dual carriageways with limits of 30, 40 and 50, especially on the major arteries.
So it will probably work well there but I am unsure about elsewhere as it may throw up other problems, as PP have highlighted. Perhaps more thought is needed with regard to specific and local conditions before blanket limits are imposed wholesale.