# 20MPH zones to be introduced in Bristol.



## gentlegreen (Jan 16, 2009)

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/home...icle-618025-detail/article.html#StartComments

Though the correct speed for a lot of streets is actually no more than 10 to 15.

But it's a start anyway.


----------



## greedy banker (Jan 16, 2009)

Speed limits are stupid.

If the driving is dangerous prosecute for that.

If the driving isn't dangerous then the limit is an artificial restriction that criminalises reasonable behaviour.


----------



## Boczkowski (Jan 16, 2009)

gets popcorn

straps self in


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 16, 2009)

Sadly there's never a copper around when you need one.

Even more sadly some people have to be told that residential streets aren't main roads.


----------



## greedy banker (Jan 16, 2009)

In that case how will 20 mph make any differences?

Unless you're proposing speed cameras, in which case I'd be very very worried about drivers concentrating on their numerical speed rather than their environment and the kid on the bike they're about to hit (at low speed).


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 16, 2009)

What else would you suggest ?


----------



## newme (Jan 16, 2009)

teaching people not to run in front of the bloody vehicles in the first place


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 16, 2009)

I see the Clarkson fan club are in this afternoon.


----------



## newme (Jan 16, 2009)

lol i walk everywhere and dont hold a car license.


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Jan 16, 2009)

Bristol must be years behind the times if they have only just introduced 20 mph restrictions in the city.  I would imagine in a city as crowded as Bristol 20 mph would be something that only exists as a distant memory like horse drawn buses.


----------



## newme (Jan 16, 2009)

Yeh thinking about it Id kind of assume ud be pushed to hit 20 even if you tried lol


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 16, 2009)

20mph is of course much too high a speed for the roads in question, but at least it's a start.

My street for one is used as a ratrun by sociopaths who aim to get through all their gears before they reach the end.


----------



## hermitical (Jan 16, 2009)

there are plenty of 20mph areas in Bristol already


----------



## stowpirate (Jan 17, 2009)

Do they enforce it as just introducing a 20mph zones will not work? It might be 10-15mph during the busy periods but what about when the traffic has cleared also at 2am and your cat is crossing the road? We have a 20mph restriction locally and people just overtake you sometimes even when you are indicating or slowing to turn right. I would guess going by my local experience and having been in other peoples cars that most people do 40-50mph in a 30mph zone and pretend the 20mph zone does not exist. I do not know what you lot think but If they are going to introduce these limits they must first find air tight methods of enforcing it?


----------



## Callie (Jan 17, 2009)

I would say most road users don't stick to the limits - Im learning to drive at the moment and I usually stick bang on 30 in a 30 zone unless I need to go slower and pretty much everyone else is going faster than me!

I don't really know the best way to enforcing speed limits - harsher penalties for failing to comply? still wouldnt stop people speeding though imo


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 17, 2009)

Callie said:


> I don't really know the best way to enforcing speed limits


I think the best we can do is set an example and not be bullied by the tailgaters.


----------



## Callie (Jan 17, 2009)

Its hard though, I usually find myself trying to get out of the way cos other drivers want to get past me and I know theyre going to do something silly and fast to get past. 

Although sometimes if I'm not in a good mood and someone is driving up my arse I do slow down a leeeeeeeeeeetle bit more, just to piss them off  20mph ftw!


----------



## Geri (Jan 17, 2009)

Surely speed bumps will slow them down?

I hope they introduce this on Stapleton Road, I've never known anywhere like it for bad drivers. It isn't even safe on the pavements.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 17, 2009)

I get idiots pointlessly overtaking my bike on a daily basis - and I always catch up with them at the next set of lights - or they get in my way when they encounter parked cars.

They tend to overtake in an exagerated way to imply they care about my safety.

I don't expect any more from car drivers than I do from myself on the rare occaisions when I'm on 4 wheels.


----------



## Geri (Jan 17, 2009)

gentlegreen said:


> They tend to overtake in an exagerated way to imply they care about my safety.



I'd rather they did that than cut me up with about an inch to spare.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 17, 2009)

Geri said:


> I'd rather they did that than cut me up with about an inch to spare.


Maybe you're riding too close to the kerb. ?


----------



## Geri (Jan 17, 2009)

gentlegreen said:


> Maybe you're riding too close to the kerb. ?



Nope, I ride out wide.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 17, 2009)

I'm lucky in that I only have to cross that road - not ride along it very far.
The madness does extend a bit into St. Marks road though - had a couple of scary encounters with full-on sociopaths over the years ...


----------



## Geri (Jan 17, 2009)

I usually walk or cycle through the underpass and come out at Warwick Road, which is quite far up and not too bad - but if I ever walk along the bottom end, I feel like I need eyes in the back of my head. It's utter mayhem.


----------



## big eejit (Jan 17, 2009)

Callie said:


> I would say most road users don't stick to the limits - Im learning to drive at the moment and I usually stick bang on 30 in a 30 zone unless I need to go slower and pretty much everyone else is going faster than me!
> 
> I don't really know the best way to enforcing speed limits - harsher penalties for failing to comply? still wouldnt stop people speeding though imo



I think people do take some notice of the speed limit. On the M6 most people seem to be doing 80-85 mph (when traffic flowing freely). On roads where the limit is 50 people seem to do about 55-60 mph. And where the limit is 30 I'd say people mostly do 30-35. so if the limit is 20 I'd expect most to do 20 with a few doing 25 and eejits doing 30.

anyway, what I'm saying is that spped limits do seem to make some difference. So it's a good thing intit.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 17, 2009)

big eejit said:


> anyway, what I'm saying is that spped limits do seem to make some difference. So it's a good thing intit.



I concur - you have to start somewhere.....

... but on this basis I reckon they should be setting the speed in sideroads at 15  ...


----------



## greedy banker (Jan 17, 2009)

Nah, surely the fact that drivers aren't crashing constantly in these 20 mph zones is evidence they don't need a speed limit to drive safely. 

Or put another way, do you need a speedometer to drive safely? I know I don't. I mostly use mine to verify my speed is higher than 200 on the M74.


----------



## stowpirate (Jan 17, 2009)

Callie said:


> I would say most road users don't stick to the limits - Im learning to drive at the moment and I usually stick bang on 30 in a 30 zone unless I need to go slower and pretty much everyone else is going faster than me!
> 
> I don't really know the best way to enforcing speed limits - harsher penalties for failing to comply? still wouldnt stop people speeding though imo



99.9% maybe?



Geri said:


> Surely speed bumps will slow them down?
> 
> I hope they introduce this on Stapleton Road, I've never known anywhere like it for bad drivers. It isn't even safe on the pavements.



They just speed between the bumps. Most of these bumps in the area where  I live can be taken at 20mph so pretty pointless and might even be dangerous in that morons who are speeding put there foot down hard after the bump. A bit like speed camera syndrome - break hard foot down hard! They should make speed limits absolute maximums attempt to get a state of mind with drivers that you are breaking the law by even doing 20mph in a 30mph limit! 60mph in 70mph limit. Maybe stopping people and asking why they are driving so fast and explaining the speed limit is only a guide and does not represent what is considered reasonable. Most Country lanes are 60mph but in reality some lanes are 5mph. So maybe three stops for driving at an unreasonable speed for the road conditions and you get points but no fine?


----------



## jigotai (Jan 20, 2009)

gentlegreen said:


> I think the best we can do is set an example and not be bullied by the tailgaters.




We were driving up Fishponds Road, with a black BMW never more than 2 metres from my bumper. When we got to the Straits, he nipped down it, accelerated hard down this quiet street which is basically a glorified layby, and pulled out onto fishponds road again, in front of a van. This insane manovue allowed him to undertake two vehicles. 

I just mention it to give some context.  

And bitch, obviously.


----------



## stowpirate (Jan 21, 2009)

jigotai said:


> We were driving up Fishponds Road, with a black BMW never more than 2 metres from my bumper. When we got to the Straits, he nipped down it, accelerated hard down this quiet street which is basically a glorified layby, and pulled out onto fishponds road again, in front of a van. This insane manovue allowed him to undertake two vehicles.
> 
> I just mention it to give some context.
> 
> And bitch, obviously.



Isn't that normal for the vast majority of BMW drivers. I was once driving along the outside lane of a  dual carriage way with a BMW tailgating me and in front there had been an accident with a Police car blocking both lanes. The policeman was directing traffic up a slip road so I slowed and pull over. The BMW driver was oblivious to the situation floored it to go through the gap then realized his mistake hit the center reservation and plowed into the rear of the Police car! Nobody was injured and both cars were wrecked and the Policeman was not very happy. The traffic had been stopped because further up the road a cyclist  had been mowed down and killed. Maybe they should ban that type of car and similar from sale?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 21, 2009)

Yep, "luxury" cars.. I've never been sure what they're for.
Even if I became a millionaire tomorrow I wouldn't be seen dead in one.


----------



## stowpirate (Jan 21, 2009)

gentlegreen said:


> Yep, "luxury" cars.. I've never been sure what they're for.
> Even if I became a millionaire tomorrow I wouldn't be seen dead in one.



I think it has more to do with the association of speed, power and invincibility than the luxury aspect. Four wheel drive vehicles are also driven by the same sort of individual. Four wheel drive does not give you more grip but the majority of owners think it does so drive in worst weather conditions in deadly ignorance. Four wheels drive give you more traction to get moving, meaning deep snow, mud or even drive or on ice at 0-5mphish.  But at higher speeds they handle the same as any other car and crash just as easily. I have seen a number of these idiots in the past get stuck in snow drifts because the were going to fast to steer around them also seen them crash into other vehicles on car parks because they are going twice as fast as normal cars!


----------



## djbombscare (Jan 23, 2009)

Why am I filled with the feeling that this will be a total total fuck up.

If its a safety thing then YAY make all the residental areas 20mph wher ekids play around shcools and what not absolutely brilliant.

BUT it is more likely to be a thinly veiled excuse to do what they currently do, limit some obscure non residentail bit of road and use it for revenue raising.


----------



## Zaskar (Feb 15, 2009)

All residential streets should be 20 or less.  My habit is always to stay at 20 on such streets and fuch the tossers behind me.

Also - our national linit is 70 - so lets bloody well limit ALL vehicles to 70 and be done with it.

It's stupid to sell cars and bikes that do like 200 mph ffs - just stupid.


----------

