Bike radar article on Police not enforcing 20mph speed limits.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
Police admit to not enforcing 20mph speed limits
(16 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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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.
Either that or the community enforcement that is being trialled.
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
Posted 12 years ago # -
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...
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.
Posted 12 years ago # -
cops is great tho, innit true that
Posted 12 years ago # -
unless there's a massive campaign to put safety cameras out the 20mph limits will be an expensive waste of time.
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.
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).
Posted 12 years ago # -
50% of vehicles doing 20-25mph
when a hi vis fluro jacket is waving a radar at them?
Posted 12 years ago # -
The problem for me, is that as folk realise that they aren't policed, the average speed will creep up.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Move along now, nothing to see here, this isn't news...
Do you as a police force enforce 20mph speed limits?
No
Lothian & Borders Police FoI Log August 2011
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
50% of vehicles doing 20-25mph
when a hi vis fluro jacket is waving a radar at them?
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.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Dave, have you got a source for those data?
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).
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)
Posted 12 years ago # -
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...
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!
Posted 12 years ago # -
@cc - it's not easy to find old threads. I had a bash with Google but the best I could find was this (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).
I wonder if we could FOI the council for the black box data directly?
Posted 12 years ago # -
I wonder if we could FOI the council for the black box data directly?
I suspect they'd treat it as environmental information, so would charge for it...
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
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.
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).
* 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!
Posted 12 years ago # -
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?
I have a feeling it is illegal to flash lights, but I'm not sure...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Speed gun warning driver loses appeal over conviction BBC report on court case from 2011, and earlier case from 2004 in Telegraph Motorist-is-banned-over-speed-trap-alert.
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.Posted 12 years ago #
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