[Closed] Calling all Bristolians - 20mph limit petition

Are the 20's enforced though? As it seems to be with a lot of the driving related stuff in Bristol its poorly signposted.

I ask as if you miss a 20 mph sign and are going > 29 mph it can be an instant driving ban.

Just found the recommendations:

Speed limit: 20 mph
ACPO charging threshold: 24 mph
Summons: 35 mph -
See more at: http://www.racfoundation.org/motoring- faqs/enforcement#sthash.icouwbPn.dpuf

So fine and 3 points at 24 mph and court summons at 35mph

Combined with being charged to plead (£) for guilty and (££££) for innocent this seems like genius. 🙄

There is little or no enforcement, even so there are loads of repeaters dotted around and if in doubt drive slower, no excuse to speed. I find myself driving at 20 even in the 30s in residential areas away fron central Bristol now. It just feels like the right speed.

It is noticeably better on the roads now. Still loads of people breaking the limit but where they were doing 40 in a 30 they now do 30 in a 20.

As far as I can tell it isn't enforced, but then neither were the 30 zones!

It seems that people are flaunting it, but it does seem to have slowed them down overall. Rather than going 37 in a 30, they are going 27 in a 20.

I quite like it. It's much more appropriate for residential areas and is a much more relaxing drive.

Seems little point in having a limit if its never enforced. Why not take the cash for signs and use it to employ an extra couple of traffic policeman....

20 mph outside schools and in residential streets seem fine but a blanket 20 mph for the entire city seems nuts.

People are driving slower and Bristol is now nicer to cycle and walk around. Whether this will carry on without enforcement we'll see but so far so good.

but a blanket 20 mph for the entire city seems nuts

Seems like a perfectly reasonable city speed to me.

Most of the time you'll be stuck in traffic anyway, and when you aren't it will make precisely naff all difference to your overall journey time.

Even assuming a scenario of a 5 mile straight line trip across town with no other traffic or traffic lights or junctions or crossings or roundabouts to slow you down the difference in travel time if you could maintain a constant 30mph vs a constant 20mph is only 5 mins. Throw in all the other stuff and any difference is pretty much negated and absorbed, the max speed difference plays almost no factor in your travel time.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable price to pay for a safer, quieter and more pleasant envirnment to walk, cycle and drive in to me 🙂

Signed (I work in Bristol even if I don't live there).

"I find myself driving at 20 even in the 30s in residential areas away fron central Bristol now. It just feels like the right speed"
I've found this too since living in Brighton (also a 20mph limit on most roads). 30mph seems excessive now.

It is enforced, the mobile speed camera publishes a list each day of where it will be and it is quite often in 20 zones. I have seen it in a 20 zone in Keynsham (although that is in banes) several times.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable price to pay for a safer, quieter and more pleasant envirnment to walk, cycle and drive in to me

Again seems nuts to me, as looking at the plans this includes the end of the A370, A38, Feeder road and industrial estates around Bristol.

Residential streets make sense, blanket 20 mph just seems a lazy way to make the traffic in Bristol even worse.

hmm

As a Bristol resident from 1999 until 2011 and now just popping in for work...

I rarely got up to 30mph in most places and 30mph always felt quick on Whiteladies. This is due to idiotic parking, idiotic pedestrians walking out, idiotic cyclists. idiotic drivers, idiotic bus drivers..etc etc

There are benefits and negatives to the 20mph and likewise to it being a blanket rule.

Stick with 20mph I say but be sensible on 30mph ones too, sort out the other issues, get more Bobbies on the ground and don't rigidly enforce it with instant fines/points/cameras etc. Pull people over and give them a bollocking and do likewise for not indicating, turning at no turn junctions, tailgating etc etc and if someone is on their phone drag them out and give them a public kicking by the side of the road. 😀

While they are at it give the Mayor one too for these stupid "improvements" that just make it worse and worse to drive in Bristol without actually improving the public transport. Some of us have no choice but to use a car and I now dread going into Bristol due to the congestion combined with bad drivers.

Again seems nuts to me

But why? What exactly do you feel the downside is? The lower speed limit has almost zero impact on journey time or traffic flow, or volume of traffic, yet has a positive impact on other factors.

Average peak time speeds in Bristol are 16 mph (26 km/h), with 23% of journey times spent stationary. Cars are used for 45% of journeys under 2 km, and 68% of 2–5 km journeys.

The problem is not the speed limit, it's the use of cars for journeys whre it is not really appropriate, sure *some* of those journeys need to be made by car for *reasons* but the majority would be quicker, safer, cheaper and better for you made by other means.

I mean FFS, 45% of journeys under 2km!!? unless 45% of journeys under 2km require the transport of large bulky or heavy goods, to coin a phrase

"that just seems nuts to me!"

The 20 mph limit was never going to be enforced everywhere at all times was it? But speeds are generally 20-30 now, rather than 30-40 which has quietened things down nicely.

there was a story in the evening post about an unfortunate fella - who got two tickets in Patchway - 5 or 10 mins apart..

The police I think confirmed they will enforce and have - although I think in this this case it was a detector van - perhaps not police..

As the saying went; '20 is plenty' - seriously can any sane individual suggest faster is ok - in a residential area - with real life cyclists and pedestrians - maybe even lesser spotted young children walking about and sharing the space?

Signed. Thanks for highlighting this OP.

For balance, can the original poster please supply a link to the pro 30 mph petition?

I work all round Bristol at all times of day and it's a right royal pain, driving whilst constantly on the look out for 20, 30 and 40 mph signs that are dotted around the place. It's not a blanket 20 over the whole city which means if you want to obey the speed limit you've not got your eyes on the road at all times.
On my way from the centre of town I go through 6 different limits to get home.

would you prefer a blanket 20?

All 20 OR all 30, don't care. Just not 20, 30 and 40.

For balance, can the original poster please supply a link to the pro 30 mph petition?

Personally I'm not sure the 20 does too much, bad drivers are bad at 20 or 30.
There does seem to be a real surplus of bad drivers around here.

I think I'd prefer a blanket something like flatfish as opposed to the random speed changes tbh...

then all we would need would be a city button in the car which would limit speed to that 🙂

As above, a moron in a car is dangerous at 20, 30 or 40 mph. If someone doesnt have for example, lane discipline, good observation skills and spatial awareness, the only thing that 20 limits do is reduce the impact speed.

I'm all for the 20 limit dont get me wrong but it wont improve the driving ability of the average Bristolian and they will just get more angry when they see bikes fly past them. The biggest danger now is you have small vulnerable road users who can travel at the same speed as the big heavy stuff so the cars cant speed up and pass safely and you are travelling alongside the cars and vans doing 20mph

the only thing that 20 limits do is reduce the impact speed.

And this means that the consequences of that impact should not be fatal for anyone involved, not just those in the metal shells.

you are travelling alongside the cars and vans

You should take the lane if this is happening regularly as you are as fast as all the other traffic and there is no reason not to.

Get rid of the taxi and bus drivers and Bristol would be a far nicer place to cycle. They're consistently the worst road users down here in my experience, regardless of how fast the traffic is.

it's

a right royal pain, driving whilst constantly on the look out for 20, 30 and 40 mph signs that are dotted around the place.

How is this a issue? Every uk city I've driven in has at least 30 and 40 mph zones so you have to watch out for changes anyway.

20 limits do is reduce the impact speed.

The biggest danger now is you have small vulnerable road users who can travel at the same speed as the big heavy stuff so the cars cant speed up and pass safely and you are travelling alongside the cars and vans doing 20mph

Why would or should the cars overtake if the other vehicle is going the same speed?

Given Bristol is a hilly city (I grew up there) on a bike how the hell do you keep below 20mph down hill without being on the brakes all the time?

Again seems nuts to me, as looking at the plans this includes the end of the A370, A38, Feeder road and industrial estates around Bristol.

Reducing the speed limit improves safety, encourages cycling and increases the carrying capacity of the network. And given the chronic congestion, it has chuff all difference on journey times.

I'm struggling to see a downside.

the only thing that 20 limits do is reduce the impact speed

worthwhile in it's own right I think, drastically reduces the chance of a fatality and reduces severity of injury in general, not to mention the reduction in stopping distance which means that fewer impacts should occur anyway.

The biggest danger now is you have small vulnerable road users who can travel at the same speed as the big heavy stuff

Well being that average speeds are so low in city traffic anyway this is little different to before as there would only have been brief moments before where an overtake was possible anyway.

so the cars cant speed up and pass safely and you are travelling alongside the cars and vans doing 20mph

This in itself is contradictory!

For those cyclists and mopeds that are able to travel at the full limit of 20 then surely by definition nobody would need to overtake them?

And if they are travelling slower than the limit the the situation is no different to before, except you've decreased the speed differential, decreased stopping distance, and decreased the potential impact while having little or no impact on journey time.

win win win ! 🙂