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

During my youth and early twenties, i walked everywhere or caught a bus, if not local. I am now a lot older, cannot walk far due to medical problems and am astonished to see how little walking the younger generation, actually do, most are taken to school and dropped off by parents driving.
I live in Wales and totally disagree with the 20mph as it has not been proven that it saves lives, it is conjecture by the Welsh Assembly. They are relying on heresay and not proof.
When I do see people walking, they seem to walk in the middle of the road - why?
The 20mph is all around where I live and trying to watch your speed, keeping an eye for traffic and silly pedestrians, it is just about impossible to keep within the current limit. Maybe, i will get used to the difference however, you can’t always anticipate what pedestrians are going to do especially when they are wearing earphones or glued to their Mobile phones. They can’t hear the traffic or are too engrossed in their phones and who gets the blame when they step onto the road - yes, the driver. More tuition is needed for pedestrians.
Additionally, the main roads are patrolled by camera vans etc, the side roads are not and that is where the majority of the speeding is taking place.

We’ve had it Portsmouth for quite a few years now. Only on side roads. I think it’s brilliant. More careful drivers, less accidents, better for children and elderly especially.

I live in Wales and am most definitely for it. I have found very little, if any, change to my journey times since the 20mph limits were introduced, and if it saves lives and life-changing injuries then it's well worth it! An earlier commentor suggested the cost of bringing the new law in could have been better spent on the NHS - I work in the blood transfusion laboratory in the largest hospital in Cardiff and believe me this change WILL benefit the NHS - you obviously are not aware of the huge number of road traffic accident victims admitted to hospitals every week.

I live in Wales and believe that 20 outside schools, hospitals and within housing estates is a good move but 20 on other roads is crazy! People are so afraid of breaking the rules that they are driving at and below 20 on roads are 30 and above! The implementation of this new system has been very badly managed. In my area there are conflicting signs on roads - 20 on the left verge, 30 on the right verge and 30 painted on the road. Badly thought out, badly implemented and it is costing millions!!

I’m for it.
We live in a village on a road that was very quiet. It’s now being used as a rat run….possibly because of Satnav..and is jolly dangerous. It would only take an extra five minutes to stay on the main road, but drivers choose to race through our village.
I’m definitely for it.

I'm all for a reduction in residential areas...when my son was eight, he was hit by a car and the only reason he wasn't more seriously hurt was the speed of the driver, which was less than 30mph.
I'd also add at this point - it was the driver entirely at fault.

Ambivalent at the moment. I agree it’s really hard to drive at 20 on certain roads. We have a two and a half mile lane from our house up to the main road, which has a 40 limit. For much of it, 40 is rarely achievable because it’s steep and winding, but for the last 3/4 mile it’s much wider, flat and dead straight. Recently the speed limit on just this section was reduced to 30, a decision which is puzzling everyone. It is a real pain. I obey, but usually have vehicles behind trying to get up my exhaust pipe, occasionally hooting or attempting dangerous overtaking.
My point is, I think where people are obeying the 20 rule on good roads the same will happen. If it can be proved to save lives, I would be for a 20 limit, but if it causes more accidents because of those who won’t obey it will be counter- productive.

Here in Edinburgh its been 20 mph in a lot of the city for quite a while. I like it; less pressure to go fast and if someone is hovering at your back you have 'permission' to go at a safe speed. It lets mums and kids, older people with sticks, cyclist etc feel and be a lot safer. It's a nicer laid back feeling when driving.
The only confusion sometimes is that some areas and roads are still 30mph areas and its not always clearly displayed which speed you are supposed to be going at. Generally most people are actually doing around 24-26mph.

Completely in favour.

I live in Wales. The new speed limit has made little difference to me and has stopped people driving at almost 40 through the village. If you got used to 30 you can get used to 20mph.
The only complaint I have is the signs haven't been put in place which is confusing. I have seen a sign put up for 30 on a road that leads to a primary school and some roads have 30 one way and 20 the opposite way. I think this could lead to accidents.

For.
I spent 3 weeks in France this August and many of the towns and villages have speed limits of 30kms an hour, which equates to around 19 miles an hour (I think) and I had no problems with driving in third gear in these areas.

Our local town has a 20 mph speed limit throughout. We try to keep to it and having a digital speedo helps but lots of drivers seem to be going much faster. Our village is 30 mph and could do with being lowered, if only to slow down the maniacal tractor drivers.

Very difficult to drive at 20 on a clear road. There are obviously places that would benefit such as near schools etc
At 20 in a low gear a vehicle is putting out far more pollution and staying within the area for longer adds to it. People in built up areas will definitely be subject to worse air quality. Most cars are still ICE!

Absolutely for! There have been several serious accidents over the years on the spine road of the quiet residential area where I live. All down to excess speed. Many people break the speed limit routinely and with that and driving those huge SUV's (don't get me started on that one) pedestrians take their lives in their hands every time they cross the road.

I too live in Wales, and don't get out very much due to my disability. However, I had to go to the doctor's yesterday, and what a fiasco this 20mph thing is!! We started off on the very narrow country lanes, which we can legally drive at 60mph, an EXTREMELY dangerous speed in those conditions, not helped by the fact that a lot of the locals who have become familiar with the hills and bends, drive them like lunatics, quite often ending up with a car in the ditch or a dog walker having to jump out of the way as there is no footpath. We then went into an area of 20mph, with no visible reason for this limit whatsoever. Suddenly there was a 40mph sign, where there were houses, and about 50 metres later, went back to 20mph! It's no wonder people don't know what they're doing.

I feel that this change is yet again pandering to people who take no responsibility for their own safety. Surely as pedestrians, we have a responsibility to chose a safe place to cross the road. To listen out for traffic, if for some reason you need to walk in the road, and to keep our children safe, by having them on old fashioned reigns when they're tiny, going on to holding hands as they get older, and teaching them that roads ARE dangerous places, so they need to have their wits about them. We should not allow our kids to play with balls by the roads, as that often leads to them forgetting the dangers and running into the road while chasing a ball. If kids aren't capable of keeping themselves safe from the roads while playing out, then don't let them go out without you.

Of course I appreciate that accident's do happen, and that having a 20mph speed limit in areas around schools is, in theory, a good idea, but surely it would be better to encourage children to walk to school, thereby avoiding parents parking in ridiculous places, which are often the cause of accidents in the first place. Of course it's a terrible thing if anyone gets run over, and we all feel dreadful if it's a child, but how many people think about the poor driver, who was suddenly faced with a child running out between two parked cars after a ball, and who in reality couldn't have done anything to prevent the accident, but who usually gets the blame. The parent of the child should have been taking responsibility for them, not a driver who was simply going about his or her business, and because of someone else's failure to parent their child, ends up suffering those dreadful moments for life.

Engines are less efficient at 20mph than at higher speeds so burn more fuel per mile, giving out more pollution and causing more engine and gearbox wear in lower gears. It's an ill-considered scheme and should be junked.

I'm for it, will hopefully make it easier to get across the road.

GoldenAge Having chosen to do the course I was enlightened on the difference to the pedestrian who is hit by a car driving at 20 mph as opposed to one driving at 25 mph. It can literally be a difference of life or death.

I was told exactly the same about 20 years ago. Only they said the difference between 30mph and 35mph could be the difference between life and death. 🤔

30mph kills kids if hit ….. 20mph hardly ever ! Reason enough?

For. (I live in Wales.) I don't think the implementation has been brilliant, but I'm sure it will settle down in time. The "anti" brigade have been shouting as if ALL roads are 20 limit, but it's only roads in built-up areas and not even all of those. Other countries do this - we're playing catch-up.

Only a minor point but perhaps it will help the slaughter of wildlife that happens all along our country roads. That and saving children’s lives makes a convincing argument for me. And yes I do live on the Welsh border so I’ll have to take care!

I live in Bristol, which has many 20 mph streets. Fine outside of schools etc and in heavily residential areas. Completely unnecessary elsewhere, and crawling along at 20 late at night on deserted roads is ridiculous.
On my motorbike I stick to 2nd gear, and can judge by the engine sound when I'm doing 20 so can pay full attention to everything around me, rather than the speedo. Not fine in the car, because the engine can't be heard in the car, so half of my attention is on the speedo inside the car, instead of 100 % on external events outside of the car.
I had to go on a speed awareness course years ago (25 in a 20), and never heard so much contradictory and ageist garbage in my life, to the extent that I sent a complaint in, complete with examples, which was not pooh-poohed, but was promised to be investigated.
Also, the inevitable rise in pollution, from greater emissions from use of low gears, and brake particulates on downhill 20 zones, seems not to have been considered.
So, I agree in principle where sensibly implemented, but no agreement with a blanket limit.

Our son travelling at 30mph was sent flying 36ft through the air from his Honda Motor Scooter by a car traveling at 40mph. He sustained substantial life-changing physical injuries and head injury and hositalised for seven weeks. He is unable to work. That road is now 20mph, how different would the outcome have been I wonder. Clearly I agree with the 20 mph and I do understand it can be frustrating, but just one life is worth it as far as I am concerned

For. No denying it will save lives. Also simple rules are better lots of variations will cause more problems

There are certain areas, schools, hospitals, nurseries maybe elderly residential premises where it would be a reasonable expectation. However on everyday roads I don't think so. Its more likely to cause more accidents due to drivers getting impatient and pedestrians taking more risks.