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Wales to become first UK nation to drop 30mph speed limit to 20mph

cormack12

Gold Member
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...news/wales-set-cut-default-speed-25946285.amp

Wales is set to reduce its speed limit from 30mph to 20mph. The Welsh government will introduce its default 20mph speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets. Ministers say by changing the speed limit, there will be a reduction in road collisions.

Wales will be one of the first countries in the world and the first nation in the UK to introduce legislation to have a 20mph speed limit on roads where cars mix with pedestrians and cyclists.

"We recognise not all roads currently at 30mph will be suitable to change to 20mph. These roads will be known as exceptions."

simpsons-slow-driving.gif
 
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...news/wales-set-cut-default-speed-25946285.amp

Wales is set to reduce its speed limit from 30mph to 20mph. The Welsh government will introduce its default 20mph speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets. Ministers say by changing the speed limit, there will be a reduction in road collisions.

Wales will be one of the first countries in the world and the first nation in the UK to introduce legislation to have a 20mph speed limit on roads where cars mix with pedestrians and cyclists.

"We recognise not all roads currently at 30mph will be suitable to change to 20mph. These roads will be known as exceptions."

simpsons-slow-driving.gif
Sometimes I feel like the smaller nations in the UK concot these laws simply to say they can regardless of how pointless they are.

30 is fine.
 

6502

Member
In my estate I am hoping we can keep the main road at 30mph. It is very long, and no signage is allowed to repeat national limits. There will be no extra enforcement from police. So I believe it could actually be safer to apply an exception to remain 30mph and have 20mph zones with signage approaching the schools. Otherwise people may find their speed creeping up by time they hit the schools. Side streets all go down to 20mph. There will be local online consultations over going blanket 20mph or applying exceptions like this.

In my borough looking at the stats we could be saving a few lives a year by dropping the speed limit, most of whom will be pedestrians and cyclists. The caveat is we are comparing different roads and the real comparison cant be made until the change is made on roads going from 30mph to 20mph.

The problem in my view is that this will be seen as anti motorist (as this is combined with the refusal to build the M4 bypass and increasing amounts of new housing being built without parking spaces).

We need a great public transport system to make these decisions work, which frankly does not exist at present and will take decades and huge sums to build. This will help build demand and frustrations. They need to build the alternatives. I worry these frustrations will cause a shift in policy before that infrastructure is built - that could infact set us back.

Personally I wont be walking or riding my bike anywhere other than in summer. It rains less on Ferenginar than it does in Wales. But I am happy that my kids will be a bit safer walking the pavements.
 
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cormack12

Gold Member
I go to Wales quite a lot. I'm hoping the tourist throughfares stay the same while this is a deterrent maybe for those cutting through some of the smaller villages.

Welsh police are already really strict with traffic laws. In practise I'd be interested how much this will cost in terms of new signage alone.

20mph is slow though and I can see a lot of tickets if cameras are put in.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Sounds like Wales alright.
 

UnNamed

Banned
This could be pandemic, since also Milan wants to reduce cars speed inside the city.

Fucking stupid idea, bycicle will go faster, but the main problem is the mayor here thinks some paint on the roads are cycle lanes.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
I'm not sure it'll help with emissions if cars are all on the road for longer and growling along at a lower gear.

Also it's going to be chaos for cyclists. It's easy to overtake a cyclist at 30, but at 20 it becomes way more drawn out and dangerous.
 
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M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Why would you report that in these archaic units, we are talking about Europe after all.

But 32 km/h is close to what we have here in areas where it's school or you are passing through place where lots of people go by foot.
 
Why would you report that in these archaic units, we are talking about Europe after all.

But 32 km/h is close to what we have here in areas where it's school or you are passing through place where lots of people go by foot.
Do wales people use km/h?

Nobody in England does. Mph all the way.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Do wales people use km/h?

Nobody in England does. Mph all the way.
Isn't it like that you have km/h as a speed, but distance in miles? I've been there many times, but I never drove here, since it's left hand drive, I would probably crash somewhere. I am not that good at driving since I like to avoid it as much as possible.
 

winjer

Member
This is like 30kph, such a very low speed.
I can understand it for special zones, like schools, hospitals, road works, etc.
But for normal roads, it's just a stupid decision. Now people will take almost double the time to make the same trip.
 
Isn't it like that you have km/h as a speed, but distance in miles? I've been there many times, but I never drove here, since it's left hand drive, I would probably crash somewhere. I am not that good at driving since I like to avoid it as much as possible.
We have a weird mix of imperial and metric. I still use stones for weight, although I can understand kg. Km/h and Fahrenheit send me for a spin though.
 

Fools idol

Banned
For non UK citizens - no one cares about welsh people or wales XD

They are like the awkward step brother who would steal your gameboy games and you would fiund chocolate in the cartridge when you get it back.

I jest, the sheep shaggers finally lost the plot.
 
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Tams

Member
I think electric bicycles can beat that.

They can, but:
  • The legal speed limit for an electric bike is 15.5 mph.
  • To be classified as an electric bike, it also must be pedal-assisted (the motor only works when pedalling and there's no throttle).
    • the motor must not provide assistance above 15.5mph.
  • Anything exceeding those is classified as a scooter and requires at least a provisional license and is subject to motor vehicle traffic laws.
So while a bike could do it, especially downhill, a legal electric bike would not have the motor assisting, so it would still be classified as a bicycle.

Oh, and if the police pull you over and upon inspecting your 'bicycle' and find it can exceed 15.5mph and/or has a throttle, and you do not have a provisional/full licence and no plates (which you wouldn't), then they can do you. Probably confiscate the bike too.
 
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jdforge

Banned
Devolution. What a crock of shite. Watch Scotland one up Wales and make it 10mph while Northern Ireland fight about it forever and no changes are made all while taking millions in handouts from Westminster to fuck about with unnecessary shite.
 

daffyduck

Member
I go to Wales quite a lot. I'm hoping the tourist throughfares stay the same while this is a deterrent maybe for those cutting through some of the smaller villages.

Welsh police are already really strict with traffic laws. In practise I'd be interested how much this will cost in terms of new signage alone.

20mph is slow though and I can see a lot of tickets if cameras are put in.
Jurassic Park Ian Malcom GIF
 

daffyduck

Member
They can, but:
  • The legal speed limit for an electric bike is 15.5 mph.
  • To be classified as an electric bike, it also must be pedal-assisted (the motor only works when pedalling and there's no throttle).
    • the motor must not provide assistance above 15.5mph.
  • Anything exceeding those is classified as a scooter and requires at least a provisional license and is subject to motor vehicle traffic laws.
So while a bike could do it, especially downhill, a legal electric bike would not have the motor assisting, so it would still be classified as a bicycle.

Oh, and if the police pull you over and upon inspecting your 'bicycle' and find it can exceed 15.5mph and/or has a throttle, and you do not have a provisional/full licence and no plates (which you wouldn't), then they can do you. Probably confiscate the bike too.

*If* police pull you over. First, they'll have to be bothered, and even then, the e-bicyclist can evade even better than a regular bicyclist. Unless the battery dies.

I know, police like to claim they do actually pull over cyclists. Sure they do.
 
My small town's Main St, and suburban areas are 20mph, that is acceptable. You will piss people off driving those speeds on any other road.
 

Tams

Member
*If* police pull you over. First, they'll have to be bothered, and even then, the e-bicyclist can evade even better than a regular bicyclist. Unless the battery dies.

I know, police like to claim they do actually pull over cyclists. Sure they do.
If you're zooming around on an ebike that is legally a moped, the the police will stop you eventually.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
This means that brits will think it is OK to drive past primary schools at 40 instead of 50.
I think this is the point. People will still speed, they will just do so less than before since you change the limit.

Paris is a 30km/h zone, still a lot of cars drive like crazy.
 
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