20mph zones!

Crizzy

Crizzy

Crizzy

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Joined
31 May 2007
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2,481
Location
Bristol
Bristol has had the pleasure of having a majority of its residential areas becoming 20mph zones.

Now whilst driving at 20 feels frustrating at best and feels somewhat unnatural I have no problem doing so.

Ok the limit seems ridiculous but that's just my opinion, but what really gets me is the way other road users behave when behind me. I get people undertaking/overtaking and generally driving right up my chuff. The speedo in my car is ok, believe me I've checked!

I don't think this was a massive issue a few years ago as these zones were quite rare, but they're everywhere now.

I almost feel embarrassed driving in a 20 zone, is this just me??
 
When I was learning there were a fair few 20 zones, and yes I had exactly the same experience.

I think people are so used to ignoring them that when someone follows the limit it really irritates them.
 
Yup, feels unnatural, feel like a plonker and if anything I feel like I am less alert as I start focussing on people behind me out of embarrassment.

Never had anyone flip out though and overtake.
 
You hit a child doing 20mph, they will get up. cry and more than likely walk away.
you will feel shocked at what has just happened but feel good inside.

when the person over taking you doing over 30mp hits a child. they will not get up.

If we all stuck to the limits there would be no need to post this.

just be thankful the person overtaking you will already have their phone to hand and be able to ring the emergency services.
( that last bit does not sound as sarcastic as I hoped it did )
 
Thing is as much as I hate limit, I hate the way other road users treat me more! Therefore when I see a 20 instead of thinking 'what a bloody pain' I'm thinking 'here we go again, let's wait for the rage'!
 
Just pretend they're 30 zones, that's what I do and I've never had any problems. Even the police around here don't obey them.
 
I doubt the police do around here to be honest. But I'm not going to flout the law, if the worst should happen it's no longer just an "accident", mens rea and all that.
 
I like doing the speed limits in slow zones to annoy people behind me, is that bad? We have a really long road that basically runs through the whole town and it's a 30, and no one ever does it, I like doing it to wind people up :D
 
What annoys me more than the 20mph limits are the Police Camera Vans they like to park right at the bottom of the hills that are now 20mph like Sussex Ave in Bristol, when the limit was 30mph it was easy to stick to it, didn't really need to use the brakes to do it but now if you don't want a ticket you have to ride your brakes down the entire hill and it's not a short hill. It's like they are thinking "Ha, we are going to catch people even when they are trying to stick to the limit!". Keeping your brakes on while still moving for so long feels so wrong, it will catch most people out at some point, they will think this feels so wrong, they will let off the brakes for a few seconds and before they know it they are doing 30mph and can expect a nice letter in a couple of days.
 
I thought I had been caught a few months back for exceeding the limit in a 20. I'd have had no excuse, speed bumps down an albeit wide, but residential road and plenty of (small) 20 signs on the sides of the road, I was on my way to the supermarket taking a route id never taken before and if put on the spot I would have said it was a 30 and was driving considerately given my belief. I'm not sure how fast I would have been going, speed bumps would have kept it down, maybe I was under 20, but as I drove past a copper with a speed gun all kinds of doubts went through my mind. Maybe I got lucky, maybe I was worrying unnecessarily. Given the margins involved, policing a 20 limit does seem like a cash cow, so don't give them the satisfaction and funding!

Bottom line is its your license at risk, the guy driving up your chuff won't care if you get points for speeding. Thus if they want to overtake or get irate, let them. Live, and let live and drive another day.
 
geekman said:
Just pretend they're 30 zones, that's what I do and I've never had any problems. Even the police around here don't obey them.
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This is exactly what everyone does in Bristol, the police, buses, council vehicles with "20 is plenty" on them...you name it, they do 30 in 20s.

The mayor is a joke and the reasoning behind it all is a complete farce, they didn't even read the report they use as a basis for it...but hey, if penalising drivers makes them sleep at night, crack on. Apparently teaching children not to be morons an run out into the road isn't a solution to kids running out into the roads and being hit by vehicles...
 
Hackney has a 20mph limit that is widely ignored and unenforced as far as I can tell.

I try to stick to it in residential areas, but end up trundling along around 25mph.
 
savagesam117 said:
I like doing the speed limits in slow zones to annoy people behind me, is that bad? We have a really long road that basically runs through the whole town and it's a 30, and no one ever does it, I like doing it to wind people up :D
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Whilst I don't speed in 30 or 40's anyway, I do kind of like annoying the people behind who want to do 45mph everywhere whether it is a 30 or a 60. There a are a few roads between Worksop & Mansfield where it goes 30 - 60 - 30 - 60 etc and you can guarantee you will overtake some dawdler in an NSL only for them to come and sit 3 inches from your bumper when you drop back to 30.

I like to wait 'til they get real close then flip the rear fogs on to see if they jam the anchors on. Although many, many years ago I did throw a sandwich out of the sunroof in such a situation and it landed on the bonnet of the Mercedes sat up my arse, that was amusing too.
 
20mph as standard on roads is just ridiculous.

They need to be on specific roads supported with road humps.

If the road is big enough for a bus lane (2 lanes of traffic), then it shouldn't be 20mph.

20mph might be the average speed around cities, but that includes traffic lights. Also it is more than 20mph at low traffic times.

Islington is one of those London boroughs 20mph as the norm. Hardly anyone actually sticks to it.
 
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