20mph limit on London Red Routes
Discussion
Sorry for the regional subject, but man this has me wound up. I commute in to central London every day and last weekend all of the main arteries were made 20mph speed limits. I was greeted in to the congestion zone (where the limit now falls from 30mph to 20mph) by a Policeman leaping out from behind a van and pointing a speed camera at me (I wasn't speeding). This was 8.45am and the road had very light traffic. As I was running along at 20mph a group of cyclists went past me and moved ahead, clearly doing more than 20mph. WTF! There's so much wrong with this scenario. We seem to be going totally backwards as a society!!!
I suppose my issues were:
It's really hard to ride at 20mph on an empty road and why would anyone, when 30 has worked for years and cars/bikes stop more quickly than they ever have
Why don't the speed rules apply to all road users (or it they do why are they ignored for cyclists as the Policeman saw all this)?
Is it the best use of Police resource to hide behind obstacles on a Monday morning to "catch" people who are just getting used to a new speed limit?
Most of all, why in 2020 do I have to ride slower than I ever have when I can't see any possible benefit
It's really hard to ride at 20mph on an empty road and why would anyone, when 30 has worked for years and cars/bikes stop more quickly than they ever have
Why don't the speed rules apply to all road users (or it they do why are they ignored for cyclists as the Policeman saw all this)?
Is it the best use of Police resource to hide behind obstacles on a Monday morning to "catch" people who are just getting used to a new speed limit?
Most of all, why in 2020 do I have to ride slower than I ever have when I can't see any possible benefit
Are all road users the same? Do vans and HGVs have to drive at the same speeds as cars and motorbikes? Or are speed limits set according to the harm the vehicle can cause?
For what it’s worth, bicycles are not subject to speed limits. Possibly because it’s quite hard to hit high speed, and partly because there’s no legal requirement for bicycles to be fitted with equipment that indicates speed to the rider.
For what it’s worth, bicycles are not subject to speed limits. Possibly because it’s quite hard to hit high speed, and partly because there’s no legal requirement for bicycles to be fitted with equipment that indicates speed to the rider.
MrTrilby said:
For what it’s worth, bicycles are not subject to speed limits. Possibly because it’s quite hard to hit high speed, and partly because there’s no legal requirement for bicycles to be fitted with equipment that indicates speed to the rider.
Thought I remembered a case where some chap had been fined for riding too fast, a quick google says he was actually charged with 'Cycling furiously'.Jediworrier said:
MrTrilby said:
For what it’s worth, bicycles are not subject to speed limits. Possibly because it’s quite hard to hit high speed, and partly because there’s no legal requirement for bicycles to be fitted with equipment that indicates speed to the rider.
Thought I remembered a case where some chap had been fined for riding too fast, a quick google says he was actually charged with 'Cycling furiously'.Gixer968CS said:
Sorry for the regional subject, but man this has me wound up. I commute in to central London every day and last weekend all of the main arteries were made 20mph speed limits. I was greeted in to the congestion zone (where the limit now falls from 30mph to 20mph) by a Policeman leaping out from behind a van and pointing a speed camera at me (I wasn't speeding). This was 8.45am and the road had very light traffic. As I was running along at 20mph a group of cyclists went past me and moved ahead, clearly doing more than 20mph. WTF! There's so much wrong with this scenario. We seem to be going totally backwards as a society!!!
Cyclists in Richmond Park have been done for speeding.mgv8 said:
Gixer968CS said:
Sorry for the regional subject, but man this has me wound up. I commute in to central London every day and last weekend all of the main arteries were made 20mph speed limits. I was greeted in to the congestion zone (where the limit now falls from 30mph to 20mph) by a Policeman leaping out from behind a van and pointing a speed camera at me (I wasn't speeding). This was 8.45am and the road had very light traffic. As I was running along at 20mph a group of cyclists went past me and moved ahead, clearly doing more than 20mph. WTF! There's so much wrong with this scenario. We seem to be going totally backwards as a society!!!
Cyclists in Richmond Park have been done for speeding.Local by-law restricted to the park, rather than Road Traffic regulation Act which is only applicable to motor vehicles.
I'm not sure how relevant this will be to 20 mph in London but I have noticed when returning to the UK and seeing all the average speed cameras, that we are slowly becoming 'Americanised' in how we drive.
By that I mean in the USA everyone puts the cruise control on 55 or whatever BUT becomes very, very pig headed about turning it off to allow other vehicles to merge, for example. Too much effort, go away.
Maybe I am just not used to it yet but on the average speed sections where traffic flows, it seems to bunch and make it much, much harder to merge - down to the bunching (whole waves of drivers up each other's behind) and an unwillingness to 'lose my space'.
Sure,they make people drive more slowly - but more safely? I am not convinced.
By that I mean in the USA everyone puts the cruise control on 55 or whatever BUT becomes very, very pig headed about turning it off to allow other vehicles to merge, for example. Too much effort, go away.
Maybe I am just not used to it yet but on the average speed sections where traffic flows, it seems to bunch and make it much, much harder to merge - down to the bunching (whole waves of drivers up each other's behind) and an unwillingness to 'lose my space'.
Sure,they make people drive more slowly - but more safely? I am not convinced.
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