Wales’s 20mph speed limit saves lives and money. So why has it become a culture-war battlefield? | Will Hayward
www.theguardian.com
In a world of online outrage, evidence is no longer enough – for a policy to work, politicians must explain it and stick by it, says Guardian columnist Will Hayward

I still can’t quite get over the fact that a scheme designed to save the lives of children became the latest culture war battlefield.

not even counting the long-term savings to the NHS from people taking up cycling or walking instead of driving, or the savings for many Welsh drivers caused by the reduction in their insurance premiums

Not sure if it belongs here but I thought it showed how hard it is to even change small things.

So why all the outrage? Well, it turns out that much of it was manufactured. In January of this year I did a little digging through four of the main Facebook groups opposing the change to 20mph in Wales. I found that in each case one of the admins was a Tory councillor from Sunderland who has, and this is hilarious, campaigned to have 20mph limits in parts of his home town.

Conservative politican scum baggery ?

Ultimately, the 20mph change was an attempt to rebalance the communities in which we live, so they are no longer dominated by cars. The policy aims to make our neighbourhoods more livable (20mph is three decibels lower than 30mph). It has a positive impact on particulate pollution because cars have to brake less. And it clearly saves lives.

  • @Nouveau_BurnswickEnglish
    16•1 month ago

    I fully accept your built environment argument, and everything else you are saying. But this? “It’s actually a struggle. climbing it at 20mph, and I even get foot pain trying to keep the accelerator at just the right depression to stay at 20mph.” Means you are physically unfit to drive. It’s also a maximum, you’re allowed to go below 20 mph.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•1 month ago

      You can go slightly under the speed limit but going much slower for no reason could get you pulled over. It’s also something you would fail to pass your test on if you were driving under the limit for no reason.

      Onto the struggle point I don’t really understand the foot pain thing, there’s barely any travel on the accelerator between 20mph and 30. Personally I find the struggle is finding the right gear to stick to 20. It’s too fast for 2nd gear, but a bit too slow for third, at least that’s the case for our car.

      • @[email protected]English
        4•1 month ago

        but going much slower for no reason could get you pulled over

        I feel like this is something everyone says but how often does this actually happen? Not often I’d guess, unless the police officer is bored, or it’s at an hour where they’re out looking for drunk drivers anyway

        • @FireRetardantEnglish
          1•1 month ago

          The issue isn’t driving slow, it is about why are you driving slow. Transporting something delicate? Poor weather conditions? Engine troubles and getting to a mechanic? Probably fine

          Drunk, texting, unfit to drive, unable to see clearly, medical condition? Different story.

      • @Nouveau_BurnswickEnglish
        1•1 month ago

        you would fail to pass your test on if you were driving under the limit for no reason.

        So you need to break the law to pass your driving test? Carbrainism is wild.

          • @FireRetardantEnglish
            1•1 month ago

            There is likely a buffer of a few miles over/under, more generous on the under. The needle can be hard to read exactly the speed, our feet aren’t perfectly calibrated, turns and hills could reduce speed, different sized tires could even make the dash speedometer inaccurate.

            Im sure doing 17 in a 20 zone is fine.