It's quite nice to be able to stroll down Regent Road of an evening and observe light traffic universally observing the 20mph limit. As a pedestrian it really does feel more relaxed than the dark days when motorists used to tank it on the downhill as though they were racing in Formula 1...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
"Edinburgh councillors approve 20mph plans"
(423 posts)- Started 9 years ago by spytfyre
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Posted 7 years ago #
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Was speaking to a chap this evening who said how much more relaxing it was driving at 20mph.
Admittedly we were chumming each other home on our bicycles
Posted 7 years ago # -
I overtook, whilst cycling, a car on Clerk St last night.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
POLICE have dished out a total of 118 warnings and fines to drivers since the second phase of 20mph was rolled out last month, new figures reveal.
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Would like to know how many warnings and how many fines.
Was bowling along at 20mph according to electric bike speedo tonight in the 20mph zones and was being overtaken. Drivers get freaked by electric bike e.g. At lights when you accelerate or in 20mph zones when they find they have to speed to overtake you.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Was bowling along at 20mph according to electric bike speedo"
That's leg assist after 15mph of couse(?)
Posted 7 years ago # -
Yes resistance is quite strong above 15mph
Posted 7 years ago # -
I'm getting a couple of weird instances a day of being overtaken then having the car sit in front of me when the driver finally spots a roundel. Baby steps.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I'm still getting the impression it's a lot calmer, lower speed generally, less right foot to get to the next collection of cars.
Was up the main road to Fairmilehead on Sunday. Even in the bit that's still 40 cars seem to be doing about 25 downhill.
Still the end of January before all Edinburgh is 20ed.
Posted 7 years ago # -
My anecdotes of 20mph limit observation:
You either get:
- a "plug" of cars travelling along at 20mph with one or two cars in front maintaining ~20mph and no one overtaking;
- or, an "open road" with usually a single driver speeding along at the "usual" 30+mphPosted 7 years ago # -
"
Among those most in favour were Southside/Newington (68 per cent), Portobello/Craigmillar (66 per cent) and Forth (65 per cent).
But in Almond ward, which includes parts of rural west Edinburgh where the scheme was piloted, only 48 per cent of respondents backed the scheme.
Grant Sangster, of Queensferry and District Community Council, said he was slightly surprised by the low result, adding the council was broadly in favour of anything aimed at making the roads safer.
He said: “Anything that can encourage drivers to think a bit more about other road users and the difficulties we face can only be a good thing but on the other hand I certainly accept it’s an inconvenience for motorists.
Le “There’s quite a few people here who are dependent on their cars so it’s maybe natural that you’d find it’s a bit less popular in Queensferry than other areas of Edinburgh.”
Neil McKenzie, owner of McKenzie Cars Private Hire in South Queensferry, said he backed the use of 20mph to make roads safer but only in certain areas rather than a blanket approach.
He said: “The general consensus in the back of the taxi is that’s it’s unworkable – that’s the most commonly used phrase.
“In South Queensferry there’s a bit more space and the roads are a bit more quiet so you have more time to notice things what’s on the roads.
There’s no need to slow down to 20 to notice that. “I think the people who were doing 40 in 30s are now doing 30 in 20s but I don’t think people are really doing 20 – I see very few people doing 20.”
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Posted 7 years ago # -
Still getting used to it all when crossing the road (as a ped).
Keep finding myself waiting for a car to pass before realising I would have had plenty of time to cross in front of it.
(Only one or twice have I though "I wish that car would hurry up a bit").
Posted 7 years ago # -
I really like the fact one or two drivers who stick to 20 can influence or control a large stream of traffic.
I am finding more and more on my commute to work especially around the Russell road way it feels calmer.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Buses doing 20 further up Leith Walk this morning were able to block and hold up the motorbiker who screamed past the bus I was on further down the road. He must've been touching on 50 / 60mph until he met two buses spread out enough to fill the entire lane.
That made him stick to 20 until he got space to swing wide and roar off at speed, only to be held up again shortly after - and then there was no way past once he was stuck at 20 or less behind another bus on Leith Street.
Posted 7 years ago # -
You sure it wasn't a CYCLIST (with an engine)!
Posted 7 years ago # -
I was passed on my electric bike today by someone else on an electric bike. We laughed and agreed we could only reallly expect to go at the same speed though the person who overtook me was quicker through Heriot Watt to the Hermiston lights.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
The outgoing Labour councillor accused the party of “hypocrisy”, saying they were supporting 20mph on roads in their own areas despite having publicly voiced opposition.
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Posted 7 years ago # -
He [Nick Cook] said: “Edinburgh Conservatives fully support 20mph as an effective road safety measure, when targeted in response to specific local need.
So someone has to die first? Is that it?
Posted 7 years ago # -
I think he means near schools, 'shopping streets' etc.
But he generally doesn't reply to 'so which streets would you remove 20mph from' type questions.
He likes the word "blanket", which covers (sic) both large areas and 24 hours per day.
On the face of it it's easy to sympathise with people who say 'but why do I have to do 20mph in the middle of the night when no-one is around'.
This misses the point that people (pedestrians) wandering about at night may be in less control!
Also it's about safety - and encouraging people to drive slower generally - and also noise, which is even more of an issue at night.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I think what he is actually saying is that whilst I support this in public with my qualification about it not being blanket, in private I am dead against it and have told all my friends and all my would be Tory councillor chums are exactly the same.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Ooh, Jeremy Balfour has just replied to my tweet about him supporting Balfgreen Rd/SJR being 20mph. He said he was asking on behalf of a constituent, not giving his personal view.
Trouble is, I have his email from me where he says he agrees with me, had asked for them to be included in the original plan and will continue to put pressure on officers to have them included.
Awkward.
Posted 7 years ago # -
So - "outside schools" and "residential streets" and then presumably any other streets between residential streets and schools - as kids can't teleport to school. And that leaves what - the bypass?
If the Tories are worried that the scheme is already confusing then applying different speed limits at different times of the day would make it more so. Also, you would need variable electronic speed limit signs to make this happen - which would likely add many millions of pounds to the cost of the scheme. Doesn't seem like traditional Tory thinking.
Come on Tories - just admit it - you hate 20mph limits. They are for effete foreigners, intellectuals, cyclists and other namby pamby types. Why not just admit it? You'll feel much better. So what if a few people you don't know get killed or maimed for life? Who cares about a bit of air pollution? Go on - Donald and Nigel would! You're not scared of the voters are you?
Posted 7 years ago # -
"You're not scared of the voters are you?"
Are you suggesting that they've realised that most people in Ed are in favour of 20mph, but they don't want to spoil their 'we are for (some of) the people' image?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Is Ian Mowat, chair of the New Town & Broughton community council any relation of Joanna Mowat, city councillor for the area (and opponent of the 20mph scheme)?
Posted 7 years ago # -
conservation areas where a “no clutter” policy had been agreed
Strange how this "no clutter" policy doesn't include the ugly, gaudy, and non-matching coloured 4x4s littered everywhere.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Strange how this "no clutter" policy doesn't include ... "
Was the (sort of) people who complained when the big black bins were first introduced.
Presumably (some) New Town residents preferred the wildlife that appreciated the black bin bags.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I wonder what the cost of consulting everyone beforehand would have been, and how it compares to the cost of having to remove a few of the signs.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Some of the poles are in daft places, there's one in Fishmarket Close that seems particularly redundant at a spot where I don't think anyone has travelled faster than 10 mph ever.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Is Ian Mowat, chair of the New Town & Broughton community council any relation of Joanna Mowat, city councillor for the area (and opponent of the 20mph scheme)?"
I'm sure it's all purely coincidence, and that there is absolutely no nepotism, cronyism, undue influence or collusion going on in political circles in the New Town. None whatsoever.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Don't think Cllr Cook can work out what point he wants to make -
Posted 7 years ago #
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