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While I support 20mph on residential streets, I don't agree with 20mph on major through roads, of which Green Lanes is one. Also not sure what the root causes of the deaths on Green Lanes are, but I notice that a lot of people seem to have a disturbing habit of walking out into the middle of the road, nowhere near a pedestrian crossing, assuming that the oncoming vehicles will see them in time to stop. The highway code is not just sensible for motorists, its sensible for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians
Why not 50mph then? Once you start killing a few of those pedestrians not using the official crossings they'll soon learn.
or why not 10 mph. So I gather you think its sensible for pedestrians to walk out into the middle of a main road and assume that the traffic will see them ?
Perhaps this will help you see my point of view (BBC article).
Yes I understand. Prosecuting jay-walkers is not the way to go + I agree that the onus of responsibility is on the driver not the pedestrian. It is particularly scary driving in Green Lanes because pedestrians seem more inclined to just step out into the road in front of oncoming traffic than in any other area of London I have lived in. I think that is dangerous. The main reason I made the point is that in Matthew's original post he seemed to imply that the deaths on Green Lanes were due to it having a 30mph limit. I don't accept that.
It can't be denied that someone is more likely to die when driven into at 30mph rather than 20mph? Collisions are probably more likely to occur at the higher speed too, due to less reaction time/greater stopping distance. The problem on Green Lanes is inappropriate speed - I'm inclined to agree that at certain times of day, and on certain roads 20mph may not be an optimal speed. However drivers have demonstrated they can't be trusted to [Highway Code rule 204] 'drive with the safety of children in mind at a speed suitable for the conditions' so a blanket 20mph is the rather blunt, but necessary instrument required to lessen the likelihood of the most vulnerable from being killed in road collisions.
Sadly 30mph seems to be treated by many drivers as a target which must be attained as quickly as possible and retained for as long as possible, not a limit which should be the maximum speed to be attained only in appropriate circumstances.
The Highway Code recognises that people may step unexpectedly into the road, and puts the onus on drivers to behave accordingly here: Highway Code It's quite correct that the onus of responsibility should be on the person operating the vehicle with the most potential to cause injury.
How many even 'sensible' motorists drive to the letter of this section of the Code though? How many Green Lanes drivers 'Drive carefully and slowly when in crowded shopping streets'?
The issue there is really all the parked cars which make it difficult to cross the road with good visibility.
Green Lanes shouldn't be a high-speed major through road, it's mainly residential and shopping.
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