http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Police admit to not enforcing 20mph speed limits en Mon, 18 May 2026 20:12:51 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-103170 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:10:12 +0000 slowcoach 103170@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-12823922">Speed gun warning driver loses appeal over conviction</a> BBC report on court case from 2011, and earlier case from 2004 in Telegraph <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3340963/Motorist-is-banned-over-speed-trap-alert.html">Motorist-is-banned-over-speed-trap-alert</a>.<br /> By trying to prevent police catching drivers who are speeding, warning of specific speed checks could help speeders evade detection and and make it more likely they'll speed and cause hazards elsewhere. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-103168 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:27:25 +0000 neddie 103168@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does anyone know whether it is legal or not to warn other drivers of speed traps e.g. by flashing lights, standing on a corner, putting notices up, or otherwise?</p> <p>I have a feeling it is illegal to flash lights, but I'm not sure... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-103074 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:44:32 +0000 neddie 103074@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I did not see it myself, but I heard* that the police were out with radar on Tues 8am - 9am, 'enforcing' the 20mph zone outside the Steiner School on Spylaw Road.</p> <p>Of course, I expect anyone caught exceeding the 20mph limit, was probably just given a "now don't be a silly boy next time, get back in your car and move along please"! (like they used to do with drunk drivers).</p> <p>* The institution I visited on Spylaw Rd, had put up a notice on the front door warning drivers of a 20mph 'trap'. Nice of them to prevent drivers who normally speed from being caught! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102971 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:45:49 +0000 Roibeard 102971@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I wonder if we could FOI the council for the black box data directly?</em></p> <p>I suspect they'd treat it as environmental information, so would charge for it...</p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102967 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:29:18 +0000 Dave 102967@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@cc - it's not easy to find old threads. I had a bash with Google but the best I could find was <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/police-say-40-of-drivers-ignoring-new-20mph-speed-limit-1-2683481">this</a> (which says that 50% of drivers are actually going under the limit, although it also leaves open the question of whether they have time to slam on the brakes).</p> <p>I wonder if we could FOI the council for the black box data directly? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102958 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:32:41 +0000 crowriver 102958@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Tubes in white vans were doing at least 40mph in a very clearly signed 20mph zone outside a primary school in Macmerry this afternoon. School run pickup time too! Also in Port Seton (I think) they've installed those signs which show you what speed you are doing, to try and enforce the 20 mph zone. Everyone was doing at least 28mph from what I could see...</p> <p>Many drivers see a speed limit, and with a few honourable exceptions, barrel along at 8-10mph faster than whatever the signs say. This appears to be normal, 'acceptable' behaviour, as I witnessed a few poor souls being tailgated, beeped and revved at for obeying the speed limit today! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102951 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:33:22 +0000 cb 102951@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Dave, have you got a source for those data?</p> <p>I know you've mentioned that before; but it still seems to me like average speeds are a little higher than that. Particilarly on WST (although I don't go down there very often).</p> <p>Someone linked to a study on another thread a while back which reckoned that the result of a new lower limit was to reduce the average speed by 25% of the difference in the old and new speed limits (so 2.5mph for South Edin) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102949 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:20:57 +0000 Dave 102949@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em> 50% of vehicles doing 20-25mph</p> <p>when a hi vis fluro jacket is waving a radar at them? </em></p> <p>It's from those little sensor lines they string over the road, as far as I know. There's a pair set up just now around the corner from our flat. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102948 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:16:48 +0000 Roibeard 102948@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Move along now, nothing to see here, this isn't news...</p> <p><em>Do you as a police force enforce 20mph speed limits?</p> <p>No</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.lbp.police.uk/information/freedom_of_information/disclosure_log/2011/august/20_mph_speed_limits.aspx">Lothian &amp; Borders Police FoI Log August 2011</a></p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102947 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:14:24 +0000 EddieD 102947@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The problem for me, is that as folk realise that they aren't policed, the average speed will creep up. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102946 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:05:45 +0000 minus six 102946@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em> 50% of vehicles doing 20-25mph</em></p> <p>when a hi vis fluro jacket is waving a radar at them? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102945 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:02:58 +0000 Dave 102945@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>unless there's a massive campaign to put safety cameras out the 20mph limits will be an expensive waste of time.</em></p> <p>But we've already seen in the southside pilot that roads like West Saville Terrace now have 50% of vehicles doing 20-25mph. Previously I'd have guessed that the average was over 30mph.</p> <p>Not sure how comprehensive this effect is, but I consider it to be a huge success given the low cost of implementation and the zero ongoing costs (33 miles of roads treated for half the price of a couple of miles of QBC - makes it over 50x cheaper than a bike lane people park in all the time). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102944 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:57:31 +0000 minus six 102944@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>cops is great tho, innit true that </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102939 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:27:31 +0000 cc 102939@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The day they introduced the 20mph limit in south Edinburgh the police were out in force on a road safety initiative - asking people on bikes in the Meadows to wear hi-vis and helmets...</p> <p>After some months had elapsed I did eventually spot a traffic warden or two measuring speed in Causewayside. I don't think I've seen them since, but then I've given up on the Q Bike Corridor. I've never seen this happening in any other part of the 20mph zone. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102937 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:17:09 +0000 EddieD 102937@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Almost no speed enforcement, other than the publicised blitzes is done by the police in person, it's left to the safety cameras, so unless there's a massive campaign to put safety cameras out the 20mph limits will be an expensive waste of time.</p> <p>Either that or the community enforcement that is being trialled.</p> <p>It's one of the reasons I'm very dubious about any publicised road safety initiatives -the rely on the proactivity of the constabulary, and it's rarely there, with comments about forms to fill etc., preventing proper implementation </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9623#post-102933 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:53:08 +0000 holophrasis 102933@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/police-admit-to-not-enforcing-20mph-speed-limits--36634/">Bike radar article on Police not enforcing 20mph speed limits. </a> </p>