Bristol Foccers - Blanket 20MPH speed limit

[pointer2null]

I don't know if you've heard but the idiots at the council want to introduce a blanket 20MPH speed limit across Bristol. It's going to cost £2.3 million to do this. That money has come from a grant for sustainable transport.  BBC Link


If you think that money could be better spend improving cycle paths, pedestrian crossings, road junctions and traffic light sequences, then sign the online petition (click for link) and if you can email or write to your councillor (link for councillor finder) expressing what a stupid idea this is.


So if you don't want Bristol to become a playground for the scamra van sign the petition and pass this on to as many Bristol friends as you can

[Raymy]

It will only cost 2.3 million initially. That will be repaid in a a few months. It will turn out to be quite the bargain.

[AdieR]

Today Bristol, tomorrow nationwide - thats usually how it works.

I saw a story somewhere (on a York newspaper site IIRC) reckoning that 20mph wasn't necessarily the big safety thing it was made out to be; I'll try and find the link to it.

[Farjo]

The linked BBC news story is from July. Since then the 20mph limit has been approved and plans have been drawn up which can be seen later this month.

I lived in Bristol for 3 years and it's a really odd place. The councils over the years have built up the city centre roads, put up massive car parks and not invested in public transport, which is now expensive and unreliable. Then all of a sudden the council thinks Oh gosh there's so many cars! So then it tries to encourage cycling and walking (in a really wet and hilly city). I guess most cities outside London are the same.

Still, it's a good idea. From your link: "Results from the pilots showed a drop in average speed, an increase in walking and cycling and no change in journey times and reliability for buses. 82% of those who live in the pilot areas support 20mph."

There's too many cars in Bristol. It needs a congestion charge and a different bus company to make use of the resulting funds.

But if you're against it - don't worry there's elections due in 2013 and it'll become a hung parliament again

[pointer2null]

What irks me the most is the utter waste - this grant could be spend in a much more effective and beneficial way, instead they are going to squander it on a moronic scheme that will have no effect on the transport in Bristol whatsoever, save for giving the scamra van somewhere else to raise money. £2.3 million could see a lot of work  done on cycle paths and junctions - this so say "cycling city" is still very disjointed.


Do you think we could get Bristol Council declared an areas of outstanding natural stupidity?

[Rusty]

Question:

Do you think we could get Bristol Council declared an areas of outstanding natural stupidity?

Answer:

Today Bristol, tomorrow nationwide

[ghostbiker]

i dont have that much objection to this as long as its city center. every city center is chocked up with vehicles its not offten you can get over 20 anyway. it would help make it a better place for cyclists and pedestrians.

sadly i do agree it would be another cash cow to fleece the motorists though.

[Farjo]

"Do you think we could get Bristol Council declared an areas of outstanding natural stupidity?" ...but to be fair Bristol did allow motorbikes into bus lanes before others

"a moronic scheme that will have no effect on the transport in Bristol whatsoever" - or: "Results from the pilots showed a drop in average speed, an increase in walking and cycling and no change in journey times and reliability for buses. 82% of those who live in the pilot areas support 20mph."

"save for giving the scamra van somewhere else to raise money" - the roads are currently 30mph so presumably will already have cameras / vans in place. I doubt the police will do much about the new limits anyway.

[Grahamm]

So if you don't want Bristol to become a playground for the scamra van sign the petition and pass this on to as many Bristol friends as you can

Ok, some points:

1) I used to live in Clifton and often cycled around Bristol when I was a teenager.

2) I now live in Portsmouth where we've got 20mph limits on most residential roads and have had for a while now.

3) I go back to Bristol once or twice a year to my mother's, so I've still got a passing familiarity with the place.

Now down here the 20mph limits pretty much rely on "the cop in your head", ie there's no enforcement of them that I've ever seen (it would be impossible to catch more than a few speeders) and some people tend to ignore them completely, but a lot of people do at least pay lip-service to them.

In Bristol I can think of a lot of similar residential roads where a 20mph limit would have the same effect and results and, frankly, much of the traffic isn't doing more than 20mph anyway when it's busy, so putting signs up isn't likely to do much.

So is it worth it? I doubt it and think it would be better to provide better public transport/ cycleways/ junction layouts etc, but trying to stop Councils from going ahead with this sort of thing is very difficult indeed once they've made their minds up!

[John Silva]

I live in north Bristol and do not want this blanket of 20mph in the city or a congestion charge.
It was good of the council to open up some of the bus lanes to motorcycles.