United Kingdom

Speedophiles.

This is exactly my issue. I'm not against 20mph in urban areas, but 20mph limits on roads that are clearly designed for 30mph (or more) are a lazy solution. Every subconscious instinct of an experienced driver on these roads will be telling them to drive at 30 so they have to consciously focus on the speedometer to stay within the lower limit for prolonged periods, particularly with the proliferation of speed cameras we have in the UK - my fear in a 20 zone is often now that I'm going to cause an accident because I'm so focused on the speedometer and not the road.

The right solution is to actually turn these roads into 20mph roads (not 30mph with 20mph limits) through simple road design measures that will align drivers' subconscious perception of the road with the speed the government wants them to drive at. I recognise that this can't happen overnight but I see no effort by local or national government to even start investing in the set of changes needed to make 20mph sustainable. If these roads just felt like 20mph roads then people would be a lot less annoyed at driving within the speed limit and the government wouldn't just be stoking up a massive political backlash that will end up returning them all to 30mph and abandoning all the road safety and air quality benefits that these policies are supposed to deliver for us.

this has got to be some solid satire

Well played.

Aren’t you too busy running a pub and a farm to be on here posting?

1 bump 😂, on the assumption this is satire despite no /s.

In Greater Manchester, we have 20mph zones in suburban areas and side roads with housing. I think this is sensible and safe for families, dog walkers and the elderly, who walk around the area they live. However, very few people appear to stick to the limit, as enforcement is lacking. This is the perfect place for speed cameras, to enforce the local speed limits.

more dead pedestrians would normally be bad, but if they're English it probably qualifies for the greater good

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.

It's poorly thought out because entitled cagers break the laws?

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).

What?