The underlying aim should be to achieve a 'safe' distribution of speeds. The key factors that should be taken into account in any decisions on local speed limits are:
history of collisions;
road geometry and engineering;
road function;
Composition of road users (including existing and potential levels of
vulnerable road users); existing traffic speeds; and road environment.
While these factors need to be considered for all road types, they may be weighted differently in urban or rural areas. The impact on community and environmental outcomes should also be considered.
rodk wrote:...Note that another less well known fact is that there is already "case law" which has established that if a driver is exceeding 25mph in a 20mph limit or zone then they could be liable for the consequences of a crash even if the injured party was negligent. See Rehman v Brady....
trashbat wrote:Rod - without intending to convey any implicit meaning here, can I ask: do you appreciate who the audience is here? Can you describe what you think this forum is about and who its members might be?
rodk wrote:...My intention was to share some of my knowledge of the issue for the benefit of those in the group. I was hoping that a group of "advanced drivers" or even "wannabee advanced drivers" would feel that this was beneficial.
I did feel that a different perspective would be useful and that my comments would be welcomed.
rodk wrote:
I did feel that a different perspective would be useful and that my comments would be welcomed.
rodk wrote:Hir asks me what I would do if my speedo fails and I decide to continue my journey with an unroadworthy vehicle which would be against the law.
rodk wrote:
Alasdair talks about "being safe to do 30", but these are both retrospective judgements and also focus speed limits on safety, or rather non-crashes, rather than the wider societal benefits of lower speeds such as less noise, liveability, modal shift, lower pollution. Higher speeds also depress active travel and independent mobility by the young and elderly which have huge implications and societal costs.
And its because Traffic Authorities are looking at these wider benefits rather than the narrow "through the dashboard" view of their cities that they are saying that 20 is plenty where people live, walk, shop, work and learn.
Alasdair talks about training everyone to "drive properly" which he knows is not possible. To do so in an environment which disposes of speed limits is impractical. Its just a get-out which harks back to the "if only everyone was as good a driver as I am" approach. And does he really think that this is worth it just so that he can exceed 20mph on a street where people live?
And the red flag argument? Yep I have heard that before.
rodk wrote:I assumed from the very existence of the thread that this issue was of interest to "advanced drivers"
My intention was to share some of my knowledge of the issue for the benefit of those in the group. I was hoping that a group of "advanced drivers" or even "wannabee advanced drivers" would feel that this was beneficial.
I did feel that a different perspective would be useful and that my comments would be welcomed.
fungus wrote:Actually it would be interesting to note how drivers would drive if they had no speedometer.
fungus wrote:Actually it would be interesting to note how drivers would drive if they had no speedometer.
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