AllanfromWales1 t1_ix7jp2u wrote on November 21, 2022 at 10:12 AM

We have such a scheme in the town I live in, and as the paper says it has made minimal difference to speeds or to accident rates. However, I suspect three years is too short a time to draw definitive conclusions. Many people who drive around town just do what they always did without consideration of speed limits. There is (anecdotal) evidence, though, that newcomers to the area and/or new drivers are driving more slowly, and as their numbers increase over the years things may get better.

gizahnl t1_ix7sa52 wrote on November 21, 2022 at 12:09 PM

This is the reason why we in the Netherlands when lowering speed limits also change the design of the street, to make it more uncomfortable to drive fast. I.e. roads are made less wide, trees are planted closer to the road and in greater numbers etc. This is (supposedly) more effective than speedbumps.

AllanfromWales1 t1_ix7sgex wrote on November 21, 2022 at 12:11 PM

Certainly more effective in lowering speeds, but not necessarily less dangerous. Trees closer to the roads, for instance, mean less time to see if a child runs out into the road.

gizahnl t1_ix7v3zh wrote on November 21, 2022 at 12:40 PM

Not that close ;) It's more to give a much stronger sense of motion when you're driving and trees are swoosh-swooshing past. It makes you feel you go fast, while without you'd speed up.
Streets where kids are likely to pop up on the street usually are woon-erf. Speeds limited to 15kph, ped priority /everywhere/ (i.e. allowed to walk & play anywhere on the street) and a different layout that further inhibits speeding.

[deleted] t1_ix9jces wrote on November 21, 2022 at 7:57 PM

[removed]

_DeanRiding OP t1_ix7k07b wrote on November 21, 2022 at 10:17 AM

I've personally found that if road conditions are permitting, people often (sometimes dangerously) overtake those doing the 20mph limit as well which I could actually see increasing accidents (anecdotally such an incident occurred just outside my house).

AllanfromWales1 t1_ix7ly8t wrote on November 21, 2022 at 10:46 AM

Not seen overtaking here (the roads aren't well suited to that) but tailgating is commonplace. That's even true in 30mph zones with someone driving at the limit.