It has recently changed to 20 mph in most towns in Scotland and it’s much nicer.
Instead of “30 really means 40” it has become “20 really means 30” in many people’s minds.
Plus the people actually doing 20 mph of course makes being a pedestrian a much safer environment. Anecdotally I find people to be a lot calmer now as well.
We all need a slower pace of life in the hyper fast modern age, I’m all for the 20 mph changes!
I’m trying to think of places in my city where 30 limits would be better as 20 and not really coming up with anything… Pretty much the entire city centre is already 20, and it’s only arterial routes in and out of the centre that are 30, and they are much broader with much less general chaos.
Sounds atypical. Most towns and cities in the UK had 30mph roads, until quite recently Wales and Scotland switched most of theirs to 20. Scotland still have plenty of 30 zones though (outskirts and industrial estates) whereas I think Wales have been a bit more strict with the switch (although I may be wrong on that, that’s just the impression I got from skim reading about it when it happened).
England I would assume has regions which are doing the same bit by bit but there’s been no blanket nationwide push for it by the government as far as I’m aware.
As I said, my city does have 30mph roads. But they’re main routes which to me don’t seem reasonable to turn into 20mph zones: they’re wide and have far fewer hazards than the smaller streets.
It has recently changed to 20 mph in most towns in Scotland and it’s much nicer.
Instead of “30 really means 40” it has become “20 really means 30” in many people’s minds.
Plus the people actually doing 20 mph of course makes being a pedestrian a much safer environment. Anecdotally I find people to be a lot calmer now as well.
We all need a slower pace of life in the hyper fast modern age, I’m all for the 20 mph changes!
I’m trying to think of places in my city where 30 limits would be better as 20 and not really coming up with anything… Pretty much the entire city centre is already 20, and it’s only arterial routes in and out of the centre that are 30, and they are much broader with much less general chaos.
I think you’ve answered your own question. Where pedestrian footfall is highest.
So is my city atypical or is this switch a bit of deck-chair rearranging?
Sounds atypical. Most towns and cities in the UK had 30mph roads, until quite recently Wales and Scotland switched most of theirs to 20. Scotland still have plenty of 30 zones though (outskirts and industrial estates) whereas I think Wales have been a bit more strict with the switch (although I may be wrong on that, that’s just the impression I got from skim reading about it when it happened).
England I would assume has regions which are doing the same bit by bit but there’s been no blanket nationwide push for it by the government as far as I’m aware.
As I said, my city does have 30mph roads. But they’re main routes which to me don’t seem reasonable to turn into 20mph zones: they’re wide and have far fewer hazards than the smaller streets.