[Kapelmuur]

I may have missed it but I’ve not seen this discussed here.

A (non cycling) message board I belong to has been in meltdown, ‘long delays to my journey’, ‘more accidents caused by drivers staring at their speedometers’,  ‘increased pollution caused by slower traffic and car engines being inefficient at 20mph’.

Also many of them signing a protest petition despite non of them being Welsh or living in Wales!

 

Topic

[RMF]

Absolute crap! This has been
Absolute crap! This has been all over the tv and radio news in Cymru for yonks.
Maybe they should stop tuning into Midlands news còverage

[RMF]

I drove from North
I drove from North Pembrokeshire to Denbighshire yesterday, A478 most of the way. I went through loads of towns and villages, signage showing speed limits were clear. For the most part, the road was still 30 in many villages, you could see the more residential streets with the 20mph limits. I think I went through 6 or 7 20mph limit zones.
For the most part, the traffic was a lot calmer, people tended to stick to the necessary limit – more than usual, I thought – apart from a couple of vans who overtook me while I was doing 20 going through Llanon – they had been tailgaiting me for the previous few miles. Needless to say, they received a broadside of swearwords – in Cymraeg. Of course!!!!
My main point is, the journey took no longer than it did before the limits came into force, traffic was calmer (apart from said knobjockey van drivers), villages and towns will be safer places for all, cyclists, pedestrians, other drivers.
Out of interest, how many twa…, sorry, tory AM’s voted for the limits when this was passed in the senedd.
#toryhypocritetos.p..ts

[Sriracha]

Well, they’re certainly a bit
Well, they’re certainly a bit slow!

[Rendel Harris]

Rich_cb wrote:

Rich_cb wrote:

Maybe but a large number of people apparently weren’t even aware of the changes until the leaflet dropped through their letterbox the week before.

Oh come off it, even in the English media there’s been huge publicity about this for months and the law was passed nearly a year ago. Anyone in Wales who has a TV, radio, internet access or ever reads a newspaper but still claims they weren’t aware of it is either a liar or an amnesiac.

[Rich_cb]

Maybe but a large number of
Maybe but a large number of people apparently weren’t even aware of the changes until the leaflet dropped through their letterbox the week before.

Either way it does blow a hole in the “these changes are popular” narrative.

The concern is that either Drakeford’s successor or an opposition party junks the whole policy because of bad implementation.

They should have kept the default at 30 and just continued introducing 20mph zones, as they were beforehand with minimal opposition.

The end result would have been largely the same but without the enormous expense and political bunfight.

[Simon E]

Rich_cb wrote:

[quote=Rich_cb]Interesting: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/yougov-poll-shows-massive-opposition-27769624%5B/quote%5D”polling was carried out in the first week of September”

I’m sure I read that public opposition to such changes grows towards the point of introduction (and let’s face it, people just don’t like change unless it is something that makes their lives easier / lets them do what they want rather than what they should).

It would be interesting if someone could assess the language used in the media.

[andystow]

On the occasional day I drive

On the occasional day I drive to work, I come off a 55 MPH road onto a half mile long 15 MPH driveway. I have no trouble holding my 2005 MINI to 15±1 MPH by the engine sound and an occasional glance at the speedometer. I don’t have to stare at it continuously.

Maybe it helps that it’s a manual transmission and I can just put it in second gear.

[mattw]

Mine works down to 30 of

Mine works down to 30 of whatever.

So switching it to kph gives me down to 18mph.

This is a VW group car.

[Rich_cb]

Interesting:
Interesting:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/yougov-poll-shows-massive-opposition-27769624

[Hirsute]

There’s a consultation out

There’s a consultation out but how who actually live in wales responding ?

<strokes beard>

 

[chrisonabike]

Simon E wrote:

Even my 85 year old Mum moaned about how slow it felt doing 20 mph yesterday, though she did acknowledge my point that the limit existed for the safety of other people, like me for instance.

It does, doesn’t it?  I recommend a short period of training.   For a week, say, start every journey by driving at 10mph for a minute (if you can bear it / aren’t murdered by others…).  Then accellerate to the “minimum speed limit” of 20mph.  Hey presto – twice as fast!

[Simon E]

David9694 wrote:

Simon E wrote:

The moany comments online are all from people who aren’t thinking about anyone else’s safety, only their own convenience.

 
Drivers, then.

Of course. Selfish ones (I’m a driver too).

Even my 85 year old Mum moaned about how slow it felt doing 20 mph yesterday, though she did acknowledge my point that the limit existed for the safety of other people, like me for instance.

She then said that she had been to her friend’s house and wouldn’t have been able to drive much faster than 20 on the roads most of the way there anyway due to the speed humps, mini-roundabouts and junctions in the short journey.

[Fignon's ghost]

I’m a very regular cyclist,
I’m a very regular cyclist, whether A or B roads. Most drivers have problems with cyclists.
I’m glad they have to think differently and reduce their speeds. If no one else. Children will be safer.

[David9694]

Gonna need a lot more of

Gonna need a lot more of these 

[wycombewheeler]

Oldfatgit wrote:

Oldfatgit wrote:

There’s some roads around Long Niddry where the 40mph goes to 20mph with no step at 30mph. It’s brutal … and it really does feel slow. And then I think how fast the normally (unless gravity assisted) 20mph feels on my bike .. and I wish far more often than I should that I could maintain 20mph on the bike…

What’s wrong with you? Drivers are claiming that they will be swarmed by overtaking cyclists if they drive at 20mph. Most of us are allegedly riding at significantly more than 20

[Author]

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