"Far more pleasant for walkers and cyclists": 20mph speed limit analysis

General
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Some analysis of the impact of the 20mph speed limit in urban areas in Wales. No deep insights unfortunately, but interesting reading in our current context of a major political party threatening to remove all recently introduced 30kph limits here.

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Awesome! Do you have a reference for that by any chance?

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Glen Koorey posted this:

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Another good piece on the battle to reduce speeds:

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And another one: xkcd: Urban Planning Opinion Progression

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I just got to experience some 20mph zones in San Francisco.

While many drivers do speed (and it doesn’t seem to be very policed), they slow down noticeably around other users - maybe because they know it is now officially naughty.

Anyway, it combines quite nicely with the painted ‘bike’ on the road and makes it actually a useful way to denote that bikes are welcome.

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And yes, there is a Miramar (at least Miramar Street) in a place other than Wellington it seems.

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Here is an unintended negative (albeit niche) cycling consequence of Wales’ 20mph speed limits:

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Open-Letter-draft-Speed-Rule-16Sept24.pdf (256.2 KB)

As covered in the ODT (blink and you missed it page 3.) this open letter from the Global Road Safety Partnership, signed by multiple NZ experts, destroys all arguments for reversing the changes made to make speed limits safe. (I prefer using the term “safe speed limits” to “speed limit reductions”). ODT - this should be front page please!

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Wales’s 20mph speed limit has cut road deaths. Why is there still even a debate?

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Fraser beat me to it.
There’s a bit there about culture wars in the UK context, but also this:
“Now 20mph zones are being proposed and implemented beyond Wales, and not just from Labour politicians. Cornwall council, in south-west England, which is run by the Conservatives, began a programme of reducing speed limits to 20mph in urban areas in 2022, and it is still being expanded.”

I do like the local “thirty is less hurty” but it does seem to be implying that motorists should slow down (make a sacrifice) for the sake of others, and is maybe unintentionally divisive. Can anybody work out a way to tweak it so it has more a “twenty is plenty” flavour?

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This is what AI came up with:

30kph in Dunedin: Flirty and Secure Streets!

30kph in Dunedin: Streets So Clean and Purty!

Hmmm, not quite. Thirty is a challenge!