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Government’s own research contradicts Sunak’s 20mph speed limit claim

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Original article by Adam Bychawski republished from OpenDemocracy.net under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.

Traffic in South London.
Study found evidence that 20mph zones also improve walking and cycling in areas. Traffic in South London.

Study in 2018 found most drivers backed plans despite PM’s claim they ‘don’t reflect people’s priorities’

The majority of drivers support 20mph speed limits, according to the government’s own research, despite Rishi Sunak claiming they are an “attack on motorists”.

The prime minister is reportedly set to announce a number of new policies aimed at drivers during the Conservative Party conference that begins this weekend, including possible limits on the powers of councils in England to impose 20mph speed limits.

Sunak today criticised Wales’ new default 20mph speed limit, describing it as “absolutely not right” and saying: “It doesn’t reflect people’s priorities.” Commons leader Penny Mordaunt had previously called the scheme “absolutely insane”.

But research commissioned by the Department for Transport in 2018 found that “20mph limits are supported by the majority of residents and drivers”. 

The study, produced by the consultancy firms Atkins and AECOM and professor Mike Maher of University College London, combined “evidence from 12 case study schemes” and “feedback from over 5,400 questionnaires with a range of road users”.

It found that in areas that had introduced 20mph zones: “The majority of residents (78%) and non-resident drivers (67%) felt that 20mph was an appropriate speed for the area.

“There is little call for the limit to be changed back to 30mph (12% support amongst residents and 21% amongst non-resident drivers).”

The study also found evidence that the introduction of 20mph zones encouraged residents to use other forms of transportation or walk more often.

Lowering speed limits to 20mph was at one point Conservative Party policy: the Department for Transport commissioned the study in 2014 to “evaluate the effectiveness of 20mph” limits after publishing guidelines the previous year “encouraging traffic authorities to consider introducing more 20mph limits over time”.

Sunak has sought to present himself as being on the side of motorists following the Conservative Party’s surprise win in a July by-election in Uxbridge. The result came after the Tories campaigned heavily against the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone charge to the most polluting vehicles to outer London.

Following the party’s victory, Sunak ordered a review of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and claimed that the Labour Party was “anti-driver”.

The proposals to limit 20mph would come just weeks after the prime minister U-turned on key net zero pledges by pushing back the deadlines for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers.

Number 10 has been approached for comment.

Original article by Adam Bychawski republished from OpenDemocracy.net under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.

Continue ReadingGovernment’s own research contradicts Sunak’s 20mph speed limit claim

Reflections on road rage

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I was involved in a road rage incident a few days ago. I can’t be fair, neutral or unbiased about this topic since I am usually a vulnerable road user riding a motorcycle or a bicycle far more often. I’ve also got experience of driving cars, vans and minibuses.

I’ve been riding a bicycle regularly for fifteen years or so. It keeps me fit and sexy and staves off arthritis and sciatica. I like a mountain bike without any suspension, frame size 53cm and slick tyres at about 80psi is ideal ;) Cromoly Treks from the 90s are nice. About being sexy, you’re welcome to approach me with do-you-fancy-trying suggestions and I’m not too fussy. I am keen on natural hair but whatever.

Back to road rage. I’ve had someone overtake me while I was riding a motorbike in the fast, overtaking lane of the motorway. The car touched me as he passed because there was no room of course. I can’t remember the exact details because it was so long ago but I was travelling at about 80mph. That episode didn’t actually result in a road-rage incident. I followed him for miles. He was manic and going to play golf.

I’ve been involved in a few road rage incidents. Typically a car driver has shown a total disregard for my safety as in the previous example. I get angry that the other driver is so dangerous – to me and not themselves of course – while I am concerned with driving safely being a vulnerable road user. I’ve had vans trying to deliberately hit me on a bicycle. I’ve had cars driving at me because the driver is on the phone or texting. I’ve narrowly missed potentially very serious accidents because the driver is on the phone.

In the most recent incident, I was riding defensively wide in the road stopping him from overtaking where it was dangerous. He overtook me fantastically dangerously to sit behind the bicycle in front. Then he made a rude gesture at me and I followed him. I got off worse. He climbed out of his window and got tangled in my bike. I had to protect myself using my bicycle while he came at me on three seperate occasions hitting my bleeding hand with my d-lock. He was less than half my age and fit.

My undertanding is that the police rarely prosecute in road-rage incidents. What this means is that violent people learn that they can be very violent with impunity in the driving realm. Driving is the one area of contemporary society that is not policed. Drunk drivers literally get away with it for decades, people drive terribly dangerously because they will not be prosecuted, using a mobile phone, texting … Why do some young people drive so badly?

may be extended

5/6/18 10.15am I should have referred to prosecuted instead of ‘policed’ above? Police do attent such incidents but they’re excused as being ‘road rage’.

I find car drivers huge urge to pass cyclists as soon as they possibly can very strange. Danger is the only thing that is acheived by driving dangerously in urban areas and cyclists catch up at the next junction. The way to travel quicker is to select a better route.

Continue ReadingReflections on road rage