Campaign for "20 is Plenty" in Broadstone, Poole

[stevesuk]

Hi all fellow South Coast PHers,

Our local Liberal councillor is pushing a campaign to petition Poole Council for the introduction of "20 is Plenty" here in Broadstone. Of course, politicians are well used to marketing and PR, and the story has been covered/promoted by the local paper etc.

As usual, this pretty much leaves those of us who disagree without a voice.

Just posting this to raise awareness for locals who maybe haven't read about it. If any of you travel through Broadstone on occasion, and don't agree with the ethos of "20 is Plenty", someone has set up a rival online petition, which basically asks for the current limits to stay as they are.

http://chn.ge/1bI1O3s

Cheers,

Steve.

[Ki3r]

What roads are they looking at making 20?

[stevesuk]

Ki3r said:

What roads are they looking at making 20?

Seems to be unclear, but the campaign talks about "residents who live in Broadstone and use the High Street have a right to feel safe" (so I've assumed at least the Broadway), and I read somewhere else "reducing the speed limit in residential areas", and someone else mentioned Dunyeats Road... so it could well be everywhere.

I've just taken my son up to Corfe Mullen to nursery, and I think I exceeded 20 MPH once for about 250 yards. The roads were busy, loads of badly parked cars, school kids milling about, crossing patrols etc. So unless you drive like an idiot, the speed limit round here self-regulates when the roads are busy. And this is why I am against the whole ethos of 20 is plenty. People who drive too fast for the road conditions or street-scape will continue to drive too fast.

And residents will be lulled in to a false sense of security by the fact they've been told that everything is safe. Maybe this is why the casualty rate actually increased by 57% the first year Portsmouth reduced the speed limit in residential areas.

It strikes me as a potentially dangerous waste of money, at a time when other important services are being cut. And I've no doubt that once these things start to get introduced in one area, other councillors will realise what great self-publicity it is, and will want it everywhere.

I also wonder how the people who are so quick to sign up for these things actually behave behind the wheel at the moment that's led them to think the roads are so unsafe? I have a feeling that they're probably the kind of school-run mum who drives at 40 in 30 on the way to school if they're running late, and then dump their car on a double yellow blocking sight-lines at a junction (which seems to be very common round here).

[tyrrell]

Signed

[stevesuk]

tyrrell said:

Signed

Thanks, its not my petition, but I'll be keeping an eye on it, and forwarding the link to Poole Council. They have only collected 51 names on the "pro" 20 is Plenty on-line petition. So its not what you'd call "overwhelming support", but I don't know how politics work and how persuasive local councillors can be. All I do know is that I don't want my hard earned council tax being wasted on such things

Edited by stevesuk on Thursday 28th November 10:47

[tyrrell]

stevesuk said:

Thanks, its not my petition, but I'll be keeping an eye on it, and forwarding the link to Poole Council. They have only collected 51 names on the "pro" 20 is Plenty on-line petition. So its not what you'd call "overwhelming support", but I don't know how politics work and how persuasive local councillors can be. All I do know is that I don't want my heard earned council tax being wasted on such things

Could not agree more, these people are barking mad !! the average speed in Broadstone is less than 20mph with all the old duffers about clogging up the roads

[Candellara]

The 20's plenty brigade will get it through - it's happening everywhere. Chichester's a great example. Council spent £100K + on new signs etc and no one takes a blind bit of notice and continues as if it never happened.

[stevesuk]

Interesting that it seems that even road safety professionals at their own National Road Safety Conference are not convinced about the benefits of 20MPH speed limits. In fact after listening to Rod King MBE - founder of 20 is Plenty - speak, they took a second poll, and were even less convinced:

http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/3191.html

Love the comments section too - even the people who campaigned for it in Chichester don't stick to the new limits! Seems there is no scientifically/statistically proven evidence that it makes a blind bit of difference to road safety, yet our council tax is wasted on it. It's almost criminally irresponsible.

[Troubleatmill]

I don't have a problem with 20mph limits in built up areas.


National speed limits to 50 or 40 to compensate for piss poor driving standards does grind my gears.


It is all self inflicted though.

If the driving populous had half decent road craft - there wouldn't be campaigns to get things changed.

[mikeveal]

Signed.
That makes just nine of us though. Pretty piss poor.

[stevesuk]

mikeveal said:

Signed.
That makes just nine of us though. Pretty piss poor.

Thanks. Yes, perhaps I should have posted this up somewhere where it was likely to get more response, like "General Gassing" - But I wanted to make it a "local" issue, rather than getting random people from Glasgow or Dublin to sign a petition about a speed limit in an area they've never heard of (so those in power couldn't say "pah, a load of petrol heads from outside the area have got together to arrange a petition".

Mind you, the official "in support of" petition on the same petition website only has 55 signatures, despite being spread everywhere on social media and web, and having free publicity on the website of our local newpaper.

[Candellara]

It would appear that the Road Safety people have lost confidence in the 20's plenty brigade. Seems that the campaigning for 20 limits is less about road safety and more about a "social experiment around Green issues" and cycling?

Hmmmm