Blanket 20 mph limit for Newcastle

[pbirkett]

It remains to be seen what exactly it is they mean by a "blanket" 20 mph limit, but it looks like something to that effect is being proposed. I am assuming that main routes such as Stamfordham Road, Ponteland Road, Westgate Road, Walker Road, Welbeck Road etc etc will not be affected by this, but who knows...

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/tod...

[Gad-Westy]

I'm not sure how much impact this would actually have. I'm struggling to think of many residential streets where driving faster than that is appropriate anyway, unless they're thinking of spreading it to much more major roads.

[pbirkett]

Gad-Westy said:

I'm not sure how much impact this would actually have. I'm struggling to think of many residential streets where driving faster than that is appropriate anyway, unless they're thinking of spreading it to much more major roads.

I drive around the city day to day and to be honest most roads I drive on I dont think will be affected.

That said I can just imagine how difficult it will be to stick to if they impose those limits on the likes of commercial road in byker or buddle road in Benwell, and I reckon theres a fair chance such roads may have this limit imposed.

Personally, fair enough in narrow residential streets, but most roads are way too frustrating to be able to drive down at 20 mph. It feels so slow, and I cant really see many people keeping to the limits if they are too over-zealous.

And in some areas, if you drove at 20 mph, the locals would probably try and steal your alloys!

[NeilBeforeZod]

I don't wish to appear awfully negative or anything, but the main push behind this reduction was that a 7 year old child was killed when he was knocked off his bike. Without going into whether a 7 year old should have been on a dual carriageway with a 40 mph limit anyway, the guy who hit him was doing 61 in a 40.

It's horrific that anyone's child had been killed in such a manner, don't get me wrong.

What difference will reducing the limit to 20 mph make to people who willingly break the existing limit anyway?

1.4 million quid that could be spent on more useful things than speed limit signs IMHO.

Edited by NeilBeforeZod on Sunday 9th November 22:37

[Torquey]

NeilBeforeZod said:

I don't wish to appear awfully negative or anything, but the main push behind this reduction was that a 7 year old child was killed when he was knocked off his bike. Without going into whether a 7 year old should have been on a dual carriageway with a 40 mph limit anyway, the guy who hit him was doing 61 in a 40.

It's horrific that anyone's child had been killed in such a manner, don't get me wrong.

What difference will reducing the limit to 20 mph make to people who willingly break the existing limit anyway?

1.4 million quid that could be spent on more useful things than speed limit signs IMHO.

Edited by NeilBeforeZod on Sunday 9th November 22:37

Well said.

RE - the above incident, the speed limit is IMO over kill. Not many drivers obey it.
The likelyhood of the same situation happennig again (e.g person driving at 60mph and a 7 year old crossing a dual carrage way on a bike) are unlikely to happen again.
The money should be invested in education not signposts, camera's and fences.

I think a blanket speed limit is just to be seen as the easiest way of doing something. Not sure it will help anything.

[pbirkett]

NeilBeforeZod said:

What difference will reducing the limit to 20 mph make to people who willingly break the existing limit anyway?

1.4 million quid that could be spent on more useful things than speed limit signs IMHO.

Exactly. Total waste of money. Any competent driver should be able to judge for themselves how fast they should be going, but sadly there isnt many of them around anymore.

Edited by pbirkett on Monday 10th November 19:53

[grahamw48]

Going to make the by-passes a lot busier though, and goodbye tourists/shoppers.

Aren't councils bright ?

Next trains will be reduced to 20mph too, just in case anyone gets on to the line.