should there be a speed limit of 20m/hr through all villages?

Question

Are the advisory flashing speed signs adhered to?

Answer 1

There may be a safety benefit in some cases - particularly if the streets are narrow, or sightlines are poor.

However, there will be an environmental deficit in all cases - a car travelling at 30mph will be one or two gears higher than a car travelling at 20mph, so will be using less fuel per mile, and producing less pollution while in the village.
The health problems associated with the additional pollution from the lower limit may be more dangerous to the local population than the vehicles travelling at 30mph.

Each village should be considered as a separate case, and the appropriate decision made taking all issues into account.

Answer 2

Speed limits through villages should be 15 mph, and 5 mph within a mile radius of schools - some days it takes the best part of an hour to cross the road in some villages because of the excessive speed vehicles go at. In the village where I live there are a lot of very elderly people living there.

Flashing Speed Signs are NEVER adhered to unless a policeman is stood right beside it.

Answer 3

I think lowering the speed limit through villages would be a very dangerous action.

I live in a cluster of villages and when people crawl along below 25 mph you start to see some very eratic driving from others behind them. The roads are not wide enough to over take where other cars are parked and accidents then occur.

Answer 4

It depends on the village in question.
Some villages are on major through-routes where traffic has no alternative. In cases such as this, the speed limit should be set to BALANCE the needs of the community with the needs of the road-user. I would argue that 20 mph is too low in these cases. Even if you set a low limit you just KNOW that someone is gonna ignore it, don't you? So if you let your kids play in the street and they get mown down by boy-racer in his 1978 Ford Chav-rolet, who's really at fault?
Also, a lot of these villages have business that depend on the through-traffic - if we build by-passes around you, you bleat and whine while you watch your communiuty die - think about that.

Other villages are in the middle of nowhere, on roads that lead nowhere except to the next village. In this case the speed limits should be agreed by the local communities collectively.

Answer 5

The answer is a clear YES.

If you want to find out about the effect of lowering speed limits just ask Worcestershire County Council

All village Parish Councils were asked what speed limit they required and this is the way it should be done. They will also give you details of the accident reductions as a result.

Trouble is most Councils do not listen to the wishes of the people that pay their salaries.

Answer 6

depends, if they population of the village need the exersise increase the speed limits, encouraging them to walk and run at a faster pace.

seriously though, there are villages around my area which have a main, straight road through them, presenting little danger and yet they have limits of 20-30mph which in between straight stretches of road of national speed limits proves to be a bit of a pain and dangerous for people slamming the brakes on. In this case NO, NO, NO.

However in little welsh/scottish/lake district villages and towns where there are blind twists and turns, sharp drops and dry ston walls to hit at every oportunity then yes definatley! I get sick of city drivers who think its a rally track and go nuts, only to relealise actually their not a good driver when they meet a tractor coming in the opposite direction.

Answer 7

There should be a speed limit of 10 mph in villages, some people drive like idiots through our village especially the drivers of white vans, why?, yes you know who you are!!!
For the American person; a village in the UK is a small settlement which usually has a church, public house,school,shop and houses, it is smaller than a town.

Answer 8

as i live in a small village, i have to agree that 20 mph is a must.
the flashing signs do not seem to count for much around here. they dont work half the time.

Answer 9

Maybe our leaders and manipulators like the idea that cars can be driven at over 100 mph, but we are constantly forced to restrain ourselves. It's like training Pavlov's dog. It works it's way through into other aspects of our lives.

The answers yes, let's restrain ourselves some more.

Answer 10

I think most village would benefit more from a bypass even if its a single carriageway road. Then you could ban large lorries from the village. 30mph should be sufficient with adequate pedestrian crossings.