This is sadly quite common, and I think by design in many places.
Rather than long, open roads having a 30mph speed and smaller residential roads at 20, the opposite is chosen, purely because councils know that they can put speed cameras there to make some money. Making roads safer through design costs money, and many roads where accidents are common are largely ignored.
It’s these tactics that feed into the hysteria that these measures are an attack on motorists. While I largely agree with the rules, many councils really take the piss. I was caught doing 24mph in a 20, but was able to overturn it because the camera was placed in the middle of a hill with a sharp enough decline to not make it legal to police.
They probably made a ton from that camera, all while the top of the hill is a small junction where people regularly crash - which is 30 and is only repaired when someone crashes into the traffic lights (not a rare occurrence).
theo@lemmy.world 3 months ago
As someone who lives in Wales and drives, cycles and walks around daily, I think this is a great policy, but poorly communicated and has been a target by populist politicians which has fed into the discontent.
Many people speed and break the limit anyway regardless of the speed limit. In my experience about 80% of cars will be sticking to 20 - either abiding by the limit or stuck behind someone keeping to it. The majority of people speeding will only speed up to ~30mph, which will be less than what they’ll be speeding if the limit was at 30 originally.
It may vary by council, but I personally can’t think of any roads near me that could do with reverting back up to 30 (that haven’t already). Some main roads will still be 20, but then there are schools and residential on these roads which doesn’t make sense to revert - but some people will still complain.
Personally I don’t think this policy will ever have national popular support. It is a policy that directly affects someone’s day to day rather than a stat which makes it a perfect candidate for people to complain about (potholes are similar). This is despite polling also saying that the vast majority support 20 outside their own house (but outside other people’s houses should be reverted?).
I am kinda sick of how much this policy is brought up. It seems like every month there is a new article critiquing the limit and it is getting quite repetitive.
rhys@lemmy.rhys.wtf 3 months ago
I agree. This is an outstanding, evidence-based policy of exactly the sort we should be implementing, albeit one that’s been communicated awfully and failed to be defended against the prideful ignorance of the populist right amidst Welsh Labour’s political turmoil.
I think I’ve accepted in my head that the similarly maligned Sustainable Farming Scheme will have to be watered down due to Gething’s misadventures and our consequent inability to defend even well-constructed, evidence-based policy against populist rhetoric, but I really hope the 20mph speed limit survives this painful, reactionary period at least.