Liberal Democrats have voted in favour of more 20mph limits.   At their party conference, they called for local authorities 'to give active consideration to introducing 20mph limits in existing residential and other suitable roads over the next few years, with schemes to be designed in consultation with local residents' and for 'a minister within the Department for Transport to be responsible for working with local authorities to achieve this'.   A motion put forward by Sarah Osborne, a councillor in Lewes, recommended the switch to 20mph to be phased in over 10 years, with 10% of roads changed to the lower speed limit every year. This motion was amended by the party.   Although the vote is not binding, Lib Dems hope councils will recognise the development of 20mph residential areas.   York council is one council that is aiming to introduce the 20mph limit. It wants 20mph limits on all residential roads by the end of 2014, but the blanket approach has been opposed by the council’s Lib Dem group, which says it will be too expensive. They say money should be targeted at specific areas instead.                                                                                                                                                                                 

20 in a Residential street is a good thing, it's the 50 on an open country road I can't understand!                                                                                                                                                                             

  Yes Tel, that baffles me too.                                                                                                                                                                             

Yes have to agree 20 is good cus kids dont look. Tel trucks are 40mph on single carrageway road and it really smarts when you hit the back of one doing 70mph and we wouldnt even notice a bike hitting the back                                                                                                                                                                              

Just so you all know 20mph isn't enforceable. The legislation for it was removed some years back now so 20mph is currently only advisable                                                                                                                                                                             

  ...20mph isn't enforceable...   Smoking in shops wasn't enforceable, before the ban, but we didn't smoke in them.    If some folk could have a bit more self control and think of others more there probably wouldn't be a need for an amendment to most rules/regulations etc, in MHO                                                                                                                                                                             

'Yes have to agree 20 is good cus kids dont look. Tel trucks are 40mph on single carrageway road and it really smarts when you hit the back of one doing 70mph and we wouldnt even notice a bike hitting the back' I try most of the time to go past them JP, you've heard about my riding I guess                                                                                                                                                                              

Lol Not directed at you mate just one of the many reasons that some strange speed limits are there for. Dont know if you do or have spent any time in trucks it can be one hell of an eye opener. I'm not just talking about looking down into the car next to you lol you see so many stupid things on a day to day basis. Here is one for all of you. You will at some point seen the add (if you cant see my mirrors I cant see you)  if your behind a truck and look in his/her mirror if you cant see the driver thay CAN NOT SEE YOU. Roundabouts if you are on your bike riding normaly on a roundabout and a truck is waiting look for the driver you may be hiden behind his mirror , you can hide a car behind them there that big.
                                                                                                                                                                             

Hi Jp, Yes I used to be a Truckers mate and my ex's brother owns a car Transporter company, so I know where you're coming from. People parked half on paths in narrow streets was a Nightmare. Cars trying to get in at the end of a Contriflow when your Truck is at the front, and they nearly (and do) get wiped out. Cars slowly filtering into a Motorway just as you've got your heavy loaded Truck along side of the Slip road forcing you to brake hard! (as you can't always get in the middle lane)   Yep the list goes on!                                                                                                                                                                             

Where I live they put down 20mph signs on the road about 5 years ago as it gets a bit of a rat run in the morning (all cars by the way).  Not one of them does the speed limit, they race round trying desperately to beat the traffic backlog, despite being right opposite a school.    As for the residents, well they are not much better to be honest.    One was going so fast she couldn't make the bend near my house and went into the lamp post.    The other came round one of the corners and hit a pedestrian.  The police apparently thought he took the corner at about 40.      As for the main road, well that they made from 40 to 30 (after it being 40 for well as long as I remember) and put in a cycle track (which the cyclists don't use even though it has a better surface than the road).   Again not one person takes a blind bit of notice, even when the footballers park up on a Sunday!        Needless to say, other than the odd idiot on a bike, most of the ones ignoring the signs are car drivers.   Its all well and good doing the 20mph thing but unless its actually enforceable most people don't and won't take notice or think of the consequences.                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                             

theres been 20mph enforced zones in some notts estates for a couple of years now .... as it seems the traffic office is hell bent on putting lower limits and more cameras on notts roads county wide.. .................     dont knowwhat happened with the previous post                                                                                                                                                                              

"Kids don't look."

Kids used to look when parents used to care enough about their responsibilities as parents to bother to instill The Green Cross Code.
Now they expect the State and local council to pick up the slack with legislation.

However, being cynical, I doubt if these new limits have anything to do with the sanctity of life and more to do with putting excruciatingly slow limits in place in the full realization that people will exceed them by a margin and therefore will have to pay a toll, er, I mean, fine.

If councils really gave a crap about your kids and pedestrians in general they'd either put barriers across pedestrian crossings (as they do with railway crossings) or strategically placed cameras to catch motorists that fail to stop.  Being foolish enough to think cars will give way on a crossing is where most pedestrian accidents happen.  Elsewhere in town there is an element of perceived risk and people cross accordingly.  Dumb everything down with 'safety limits' and people become complacent.