Bristol Speed limit stupididty.
Discussion
There is another petition against Bristol's speed limits here
I would appreciate if more people could sign. It's not about people being able to drive faster, it's about speed limits matching the roads they're on, there's no point making pedestrians think that traffic is moving slower than it is, speed limits are not traffic calming, speed limits are there so that the behavior of people who drive with complete disregard for both their own and other people's safety regardless of the conditions (speed limits should be set to assume favorable conditions). Of course the speed limit cannot fulfill that role if the average speed is 8mph over the limit and the non-compliance rate is over 90%, so then having the speed limit too low does become a safety issue.
Trouble just how deeply ingrained it is the belief people have that the speed limit makes a massive difference, there is a road in Chipping Sodbury called Heron Way it's single carriageway, lined with houses and parked cars and because it was meant to be the A432 originally it has a rather generous speed limit of 40mph and just to remind you it's lined with repeaters. Now I've asked people including a couple of former coppers and driving instructors what they think the average speed is along that road, and the often say "50? 60?" no the actual answer is 31!
The average speed is 31 according to SGC and 85% of cars are going at or below 36, so yes, even when the speed limit seems unusually high, speeds aren't, only the compliance is.
I would appreciate if more people could sign. It's not about people being able to drive faster, it's about speed limits matching the roads they're on, there's no point making pedestrians think that traffic is moving slower than it is, speed limits are not traffic calming, speed limits are there so that the behavior of people who drive with complete disregard for both their own and other people's safety regardless of the conditions (speed limits should be set to assume favorable conditions). Of course the speed limit cannot fulfill that role if the average speed is 8mph over the limit and the non-compliance rate is over 90%, so then having the speed limit too low does become a safety issue.
Trouble just how deeply ingrained it is the belief people have that the speed limit makes a massive difference, there is a road in Chipping Sodbury called Heron Way it's single carriageway, lined with houses and parked cars and because it was meant to be the A432 originally it has a rather generous speed limit of 40mph and just to remind you it's lined with repeaters. Now I've asked people including a couple of former coppers and driving instructors what they think the average speed is along that road, and the often say "50? 60?" no the actual answer is 31!
The average speed is 31 according to SGC and 85% of cars are going at or below 36, so yes, even when the speed limit seems unusually high, speeds aren't, only the compliance is.
No I won't, you see what I mean about ingrained folks?
I'm reminded again about the Heron Way example the story also said that near by Shire Way (30 limit) had an average speed of 34 and an 85th percentile of 42mph and still some people who live on Heron Way said that the speed limit be dropped, even though they've just been told the speeds are already much lower there than a 30 limit road just around the corner.
Sometimes I justvwant to bang my head against a wall.
I'm reminded again about the Heron Way example the story also said that near by Shire Way (30 limit) had an average speed of 34 and an 85th percentile of 42mph and still some people who live on Heron Way said that the speed limit be dropped, even though they've just been told the speeds are already much lower there than a 30 limit road just around the corner.
Sometimes I justvwant to bang my head against a wall.
The problem is the more unrealistic the speed limit comes across, and the more arbitrary the speed limit boundaries are (setting the speed limit back X distance from a change in the character of the road is a classic) creating a situation where motorists are increasingly taking speed limits LESS seriously. It even said so in an academic study into their effects.
Arbitrary, unrealistic and nonuniform speed limits have created a socially acceptable disregard for speed limits. Unrealistic limits increase accident risks for persons who attempt to comply with limit by driving slower or faster than the majority of road users, Unreasonably low limits significantly decrease driver compliance and give road users such as person not familiar with the road [and pedestrians, a false indication of actual traffic speeds.
Arbitrary, unrealistic and nonuniform speed limits have created a socially acceptable disregard for speed limits. Unrealistic limits increase accident risks for persons who attempt to comply with limit by driving slower or faster than the majority of road users, Unreasonably low limits significantly decrease driver compliance and give road users such as person not familiar with the road [and pedestrians, a false indication of actual traffic speeds.
BristolRich said:
The other thing that hasn't been picked up on here is the reduction in speed limit also reduces the maintenance obligation placed on the local council and agencies and hence there is a financial incentive for them to reduce the speed limits where at all possible. This was certainly highlighted as a benefit in some of South Gloucestershire recent speed limit reductions...
IIRC the Highways Act basically says something along the lines of (my interpretation) "responsibility is placed upon the authority to repair footpaths, bridalways, roads which are neither trunk roads and/or classified roads and which are restricted to 30mph, restricted to 40mph and so on..."
As long as the road designated 20mph, it is considered "safe for its designation" then the obligation (read - urgency) to repair and maintain it is somewhat significantly reduced, ergo why some of the main routes within the confines of city are in such a poor state.
The report isn't online, but when it came to light that a 40 limit road in Yate had significantly slower speeds than quite a few other 30 limit roads, in a statement SGC openly admired that dropping the speed limit did little to change the speed most people drive at. Most 30 limit roads had average speeds under the limit and all 40 limit roads had average speeds under the limit. The fastest average speed recorded on a 30 limit road was 38mph on Peg Hill, compare that to an average speed of 31 on the 40 limit Heron Way and that's a 17mph discrepancy between limits and average speeds on the 2 roads. IIRC the Highways Act basically says something along the lines of (my interpretation) "responsibility is placed upon the authority to repair footpaths, bridalways, roads which are neither trunk roads and/or classified roads and which are restricted to 30mph, restricted to 40mph and so on..."
As long as the road designated 20mph, it is considered "safe for its designation" then the obligation (read - urgency) to repair and maintain it is somewhat significantly reduced, ergo why some of the main routes within the confines of city are in such a poor state.
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