OT: CLAIMS 'MOST PEOPLE' STICKING TO 20 MPH LIMITS
Wed Oct 25, 2023 11:25 pm
20mph: Majority still sticking to speed limit in Wales
By Steve Duffy
Most motorists are still keeping to the new 20mph speed limit on many Welsh roads, sample data suggests.
But there appears to have been a slight "bounce-back" after initial figures suggested a dramatic drop in speed after the new default limit came in.
Independent transport consultants Agilysis went back to two sample routes in Cardiff and Wrexham a month on.
It found speeds had dropped by 2.3mph - but this compared with a fall of 3.1mph in the first week of the new limit.
The analysis involved TomTom data covering about 10,000 vehicle movements last week along B4487 Newport Road in Cardiff and A5152 Chester Road in Wrexham.
This compared with a much larger sample of nearly 30 million vehicle movements in Wales in the week after the new limit came in on 17 September.
It also showed speeds of the fastest drivers - the top 15% - dropped by 4.9mph after the first week but this had changed to only a 3.8mph reduction last week.
The original research compared speeds before and after the new limit came in.
Richard Owen, chief executive officer of Agilysis and the report's author, said: "The evidence on this smaller sample of roads indicates there is no room for complacency.
"Although the majority of motorists are sticking to the limit, there will be concerns about the minority who haven't adjusted their speed choices enough.
"Understanding which roads are seeing lower levels of compliance could be critical in targeting education and enforcement to achieve better compliance."
Official figures on vehicle speeds are not expected before spring 2024, while updated data from pilot areas is due later this year.
The policy change has brought opposition, with the Welsh Conservatives saying while they were in favour of a 20mph limit outside schools, hospitals and care homes, but a "blanket rollout" was "disastrous, frankly ludicrous and a war on motorists".
The Welsh government has insisted the impact on journey time would be "small".
It has also been supported by organisations ranging from Friends of the Earth Cymru and Action for Children to Sustrans Cymru
By Steve Duffy
Most motorists are still keeping to the new 20mph speed limit on many Welsh roads, sample data suggests.
But there appears to have been a slight "bounce-back" after initial figures suggested a dramatic drop in speed after the new default limit came in.
Independent transport consultants Agilysis went back to two sample routes in Cardiff and Wrexham a month on.
It found speeds had dropped by 2.3mph - but this compared with a fall of 3.1mph in the first week of the new limit.
The analysis involved TomTom data covering about 10,000 vehicle movements last week along B4487 Newport Road in Cardiff and A5152 Chester Road in Wrexham.
This compared with a much larger sample of nearly 30 million vehicle movements in Wales in the week after the new limit came in on 17 September.
It also showed speeds of the fastest drivers - the top 15% - dropped by 4.9mph after the first week but this had changed to only a 3.8mph reduction last week.
The original research compared speeds before and after the new limit came in.
Richard Owen, chief executive officer of Agilysis and the report's author, said: "The evidence on this smaller sample of roads indicates there is no room for complacency.
"Although the majority of motorists are sticking to the limit, there will be concerns about the minority who haven't adjusted their speed choices enough.
"Understanding which roads are seeing lower levels of compliance could be critical in targeting education and enforcement to achieve better compliance."
Official figures on vehicle speeds are not expected before spring 2024, while updated data from pilot areas is due later this year.
The policy change has brought opposition, with the Welsh Conservatives saying while they were in favour of a 20mph limit outside schools, hospitals and care homes, but a "blanket rollout" was "disastrous, frankly ludicrous and a war on motorists".
The Welsh government has insisted the impact on journey time would be "small".
It has also been supported by organisations ranging from Friends of the Earth Cymru and Action for Children to Sustrans Cymru
Re: OT: CLAIMS 'MOST PEOPLE' STICKING TO 20 MPH LIMITS
Wed Oct 25, 2023 11:37 pm
For me, this is a misrepresentatiin of the real facts because the simple truth is that if the person at the front of and vehicle group is doing 20 mph, then it stands to reason that everyone behind them will be doing the same or less; therefor, it's a misrepresentatiin that is built on impractical evidence...
On the flip, the intention of the Sennedd to get people back walking or on their bikes might just work; because experiences so far prove that it is now nigh on impossible for your average motorist to pass a cycle without breaking the spped limit on a 20 mph road...!
I will say that I am very much against this blanket speed limit that takes very little into real account but I a supporter of variable speed limits, where they are genuinely needed, e.g. outside schools during school hours and at other busy areas where a mix of vehicles and pedestrians are more crowded...
Had it been better devised rather than this 'blanket' covering, I believe it might have been better received; but it will remain a bone of contention for some time to come...
On the flip, the intention of the Sennedd to get people back walking or on their bikes might just work; because experiences so far prove that it is now nigh on impossible for your average motorist to pass a cycle without breaking the spped limit on a 20 mph road...!
I will say that I am very much against this blanket speed limit that takes very little into real account but I a supporter of variable speed limits, where they are genuinely needed, e.g. outside schools during school hours and at other busy areas where a mix of vehicles and pedestrians are more crowded...
Had it been better devised rather than this 'blanket' covering, I believe it might have been better received; but it will remain a bone of contention for some time to come...
Re: OT: CLAIMS 'MOST PEOPLE' STICKING TO 20 MPH LIMITS
Sat Oct 28, 2023 5:37 pm
The hell they are, TomTom data showed that speeds were creeping back up from the same week last month. They’re clutching at paper straws, an illegal law created on a bunch of lies. They’re now attacking limits on trunk roads starting with the A55