I was once told by someone who should know what they are talking about that the 20mph zones that are springing up are unenforcable, as the lowest speed limit in the UK is 30.
The argument was that there is no law on the books to say that doing less than 30 was illegal.
It may be a load of rubbish, but does anyone know the truth, and has anyone been prosecuted for doing less than 30.
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It is a byelaw. The local authority create the law for that stretch of the road, just as they can say double yellow lines can be miniature, or no drinking in public.
Edited by Hamsafar on 30/10/2008 at 20:59
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Under RTReg Act (Amendment) Order 1999 LA, without the need to obtain approval from Sec of State, can bring in 20 mph limits. One has to appreciate there are two legs to a 20mph limit.
Those of you that are observant will have seen two different signs for these.
1. 20 mph Zone signs at entrance and exit of the Zone only. It should not be possible to 'speed ' as no point should be more that 50 metres from a traffic calming measure, i.e. hump etc. No other signs necessary as the intention is that it should be self enforceing.
2. Like your other 'normal'speed limts from a TRO, 20 mph restriction roundel at the start and 30 roundel at end of area subject to limit with repeater signs. This is where you will be prosecuted for exceeding.
dvd
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In Regent Street, Cambridge there is a "end of 20 zone" marker with a roundel changing it back to 30. There is however, as far as I can tell, no sign anywhere on the approaches to say where the 20 zone starts.
Obviously nobody takes a blind bit of notice, unless actively forced to do so by traffic conditions.
I would ask the Council Highways Department, but they consistently ignore or lose any communication with them, so I've given up.
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The biggest waste of money and 'sign clutter' (leading to information overload) is locally where the 'main road' has been made 20mph but the turnings 'off' have not. Hence a 30 sign just inside every turning, with also a 20 mph sign facing into the the 'turning'. . Sensible you may think, until you realise that most of the turnings off are short culdesacs!
pmh
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routinely ignored as well they should be by even the slowest of traffic cars doing his best to show everyone else how to drive
an hour each side of school opening/closing hours ***maybe*** right next to the school, anywhere else and 24/7 is just a waste of national resources
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One of these is proposed where I live on the grounds of preventing accidents involving children,something which could be assisted by getting children to play football on the nearby field instead of in the street I think.The regulation that states ' no point should be more that 50 metres from a traffic calming measure' explains the rash of bumps down a road only trafficked by residents,and the three pinch points,or hazards as I call them,on a short hill.One of these will force drivers going uphill to stop in the face of oncoming traffic,surely contravening rule 155 of the highway code-'give way to vehicles coming uphill'.As said,a waste of time and money.
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Thanks for that clarification DVD.
In a nutshell, we can knacker our cars hammering over bumps at a legal 30, or give ourselves psychic illnesses exercising restraint where there are no bumps? No change there then.
Frivolity apart, I imagine most of the legally enforceable 20 limits are in places where they are more or less sensible. Pity the others, in a majority, are usually completely pointless.
Edited by Lud on 31/10/2008 at 14:57
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I don't have an issue with the 20 zones, I live slap bang in the middle of one.
I was just after confirmation that what I had been told was correct.
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I live in an area where the streets are not especially wide and are chock-a-block with parked cars way beyond the numbers that the parking was designed for thirty years ago when the housing was built. There are children on foot and on bikes. There are old people walking their dogs. There are wandering domestic pets.
I consider that 20 mph is a safe maximum to allow for coping with the unexpected from these obstacles, yet the limit is 30 mph.
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The 20 mph zone on the A308 @ Hampton ( just by Garricks Villa where the fire was)
has now been made a 30 mph Gatso monitored zone.
A rare increase in the speed restriction?
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what does me are the local authorities who put speed limit signs up at illogical numbers, one was at 23 mph or whatever - because it represented a round number in kilometers p/h. Head of transport must have been a europhile bully!
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