Narrow country lanes to be 20mph

[Deleted User]

B0bbyEwing said:

peter_the_piper said:

Thoughts?

Yeah I have a thought. Who's going to stop people from doing what they want?
Is there going to be a copper on every country lane bend? Doubtful. 

Like with the Covid we would really like it if you stopped at home and any other ruling brought in, unless someone is going to make it happen then people will do as they want.

It certainly wont change the way I drive. 

Depending on which way I come home from work, I may or may not take country roads. In some sections I'll be at 70mph if I'm in a rush home. Some will say that's not safe but they'd be saying it not even knowing the road or the conditions I'm talking about. Did I say I'd do it when there's cars everywhere?

Whenever I approach a bend that I can't see around, 20mph is probably actually the top end of what I'd be doing. Reason being is I don't trust anyone else. There's way too many "I know these roads like the back of my hand" people around. Yes, so do I, but knowing them inside out doesn't mean I can see around a corner. Many a time I've nearly been wiped out as I've been crawling round a corner & someone has been coming round on my side of the road & they've had to swerve to miss me. That's another thing I do - I always hug left when going round a bend, again because too many idiots take bends in the middle of the road. 

All in all, it wont change how I drive. I drive to the conditions of the road. If it's a long straight & nobody else is around & visibility is good then yeah there's every chance I'll break the speed limit. If I can see other cars around then no I wont, I'll go slower. If i'm going round bends then regardless of the conditions, I am creeping. 

You don't seriously think that the police will pass up this opportunity, do you? They will have a blitz with mobile speed traps on country roads as soon as the new rule comes in. Lots of unsuspecting drivers who haven't even heard about this new rule, or who like you think that it's unenforceable.

shinytop

Username03725 said:

B0bbyEwing said:

peter_the_piper said:

Thoughts?

Yeah I have a thought. Who's going to stop people from doing what they want?
Is there going to be a copper on every country lane bend? Doubtful. 

Like with the Covid we would really like it if you stopped at home and any other ruling brought in, unless someone is going to make it happen then people will do as they want.

It certainly wont change the way I drive. 

Depending on which way I come home from work, I may or may not take country roads. In some sections I'll be at 70mph if I'm in a rush home. Some will say that's not safe but they'd be saying it not even knowing the road or the conditions I'm talking about. Did I say I'd do it when there's cars everywhere?

Whenever I approach a bend that I can't see around, 20mph is probably actually the top end of what I'd be doing. Reason being is I don't trust anyone else. There's way too many "I know these roads like the back of my hand" people around. Yes, so do I, but knowing them inside out doesn't mean I can see around a corner. Many a time I've nearly been wiped out as I've been crawling round a corner & someone has been coming round on my side of the road & they've had to swerve to miss me. That's another thing I do - I always hug left when going round a bend, again because too many idiots take bends in the middle of the road. 

All in all, it wont change how I drive. I drive to the conditions of the road. If it's a long straight & nobody else is around & visibility is good then yeah there's every chance I'll break the speed limit. If I can see other cars around then no I wont, I'll go slower. If i'm going round bends then regardless of the conditions, I am creeping. 

Applauds loudly... well said sir.

20mph as a blanket limit is ridiculous. Proponents are always keen to pretend that all country lanes are Cornish style zig-zags with high banks and S bends every 200 yards, even though the reality is nowhere close to that.

Reality is that this won't be policed so it'll be ok to continue driving to the conditions, like we do now. Where 20 is appropriate, we'll do 20. Where 40 is  safe 40 is the speed to do. And just like now where the road is familiar, open and clear I'll do whatever speed I feel like. Some days that might be 45, sometimes it might be any speed you care to mention. If it's clear, open, visibility is good and I feel like it I'll get a move on knowing full well that in the last 45 years the police have never been spotted down there and that any speed is ok on that particular stretch. 

A blanket 20 is a ridiculous joke; lowest common denominator material and safely ignored just like it has been since my Grandpa hustled himself along those same roads as a youth.

This is precisely why we need properly enforced speed limits.

shiraz99

peter_the_piper said:

Personally , I'm all for it.. Around here the country lanes are along the edges of fields with high hedges and no straights more than 100 yds so a speed of no more than 20-30mph is just about safe. This does not stop white van man and idiots in chelsea tractors barrelling down them. Too many don't realise that a tractor or horse could be around the next corner. Not wide enough for a white line down the middle then max speed 20-or 30 should be automatic.

Make your mind up, 20 or 30mph, which one? There's a world of difference, for the reasons already expressed.

Jenni_D

[Deleted User] said:

B0bbyEwing said:

peter_the_piper said:

Thoughts?

Yeah I have a thought. Who's going to stop people from doing what they want?
Is there going to be a copper on every country lane bend? Doubtful. 

Like with the Covid we would really like it if you stopped at home and any other ruling brought in, unless someone is going to make it happen then people will do as they want.

It certainly wont change the way I drive. 

Depending on which way I come home from work, I may or may not take country roads. In some sections I'll be at 70mph if I'm in a rush home. Some will say that's not safe but they'd be saying it not even knowing the road or the conditions I'm talking about. Did I say I'd do it when there's cars everywhere?

Whenever I approach a bend that I can't see around, 20mph is probably actually the top end of what I'd be doing. Reason being is I don't trust anyone else. There's way too many "I know these roads like the back of my hand" people around. Yes, so do I, but knowing them inside out doesn't mean I can see around a corner. Many a time I've nearly been wiped out as I've been crawling round a corner & someone has been coming round on my side of the road & they've had to swerve to miss me. That's another thing I do - I always hug left when going round a bend, again because too many idiots take bends in the middle of the road. 

All in all, it wont change how I drive. I drive to the conditions of the road. If it's a long straight & nobody else is around & visibility is good then yeah there's every chance I'll break the speed limit. If I can see other cars around then no I wont, I'll go slower. If i'm going round bends then regardless of the conditions, I am creeping. 

You don't seriously think that the police will pass up this opportunity, do you? They will have a blitz with mobile speed traps on country roads as soon as the new rule comes in. Lots of unsuspecting drivers who haven't even heard about this new rule, or who like you think that it's unenforceable.

Unless there are relevant speed limit signs at the proscribed intervals then any 20 limit won't be legally enforceable.  

Ectophile

Jenni_D said:

[Deleted User] said:

B0bbyEwing said:

peter_the_piper said:

Thoughts?

Yeah I have a thought. Who's going to stop people from doing what they want?
Is there going to be a copper on every country lane bend? Doubtful. 

Like with the Covid we would really like it if you stopped at home and any other ruling brought in, unless someone is going to make it happen then people will do as they want.

It certainly wont change the way I drive. 

Depending on which way I come home from work, I may or may not take country roads. In some sections I'll be at 70mph if I'm in a rush home. Some will say that's not safe but they'd be saying it not even knowing the road or the conditions I'm talking about. Did I say I'd do it when there's cars everywhere?

Whenever I approach a bend that I can't see around, 20mph is probably actually the top end of what I'd be doing. Reason being is I don't trust anyone else. There's way too many "I know these roads like the back of my hand" people around. Yes, so do I, but knowing them inside out doesn't mean I can see around a corner. Many a time I've nearly been wiped out as I've been crawling round a corner & someone has been coming round on my side of the road & they've had to swerve to miss me. That's another thing I do - I always hug left when going round a bend, again because too many idiots take bends in the middle of the road. 

All in all, it wont change how I drive. I drive to the conditions of the road. If it's a long straight & nobody else is around & visibility is good then yeah there's every chance I'll break the speed limit. If I can see other cars around then no I wont, I'll go slower. If i'm going round bends then regardless of the conditions, I am creeping. 

You don't seriously think that the police will pass up this opportunity, do you? They will have a blitz with mobile speed traps on country roads as soon as the new rule comes in. Lots of unsuspecting drivers who haven't even heard about this new rule, or who like you think that it's unenforceable.

Unless there are relevant speed limit signs at the proscribed intervals then any 20 limit won't be legally enforceable.  

Unless the government changes the law.  30MPH speed limits in urban areas don't have repeater signs.  So they could pass a law that single track roads don't need them either.

xzibit

What a stupid idea. Blanket speed limits? Each road needs to be assessed individually. Some are suitable for the national speed limit, some could be with being 50,40,30 and the odd lane may warrant being 20. 20mph is frustratingly slow and whilst suitable for around schools and town centres where pedestrian numbers are high, not for all single track roads. It would make travel times ridiculously long and tedious. You’d have to bring a tablet along for entertainment to keep the driver awake!

peter_the_piper

I think all areas differ with the need for this. Where I live on the A21, within 1 mile there are at least 6 lanes where max of 20 mph is necessary/essential.

Ectophile

peter_the_piper said:

I think all areas differ with the need for this. Where I live on the A21, within 1 mile there are at least 6 lanes where max of 20 mph is necessary/essential.

It took me a while to work out what you meant there.  I couldn't think of any 6-lane sections of the A21, and certainly none where a 20MPH speed limit would be appropriate.

But there is a section of the A21 itself that's 20MPH during school hours.  Which is a bit rubbish for a trunk road.

peter_the_piper

Its not rubbish if you are one of the parents picking up their child, assuming its Hurst Green you are talking about.

TBagpuss

I don't thinkthat a blanket rule is appropriate. I could see the argument for lowering the national limit to 30mph for single track roads, but I also think that thre are a lot of road which don't have a white line up the middle but where it is safe to go at a higher speed, becasue there is good visibility (including beong able to spot pedestrians and cyclists.)

I live in Somerset - there are a lot of single track roads on the levels where it's flat as a pancake and you can see other road users for miles - the speed it is safe to drive is very different to lanes in the foothills of the Mendips where you may be lucky to be able to what's on the road 50 yards ahead of you due to hedges and teists in the road