Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Let’s all slow down on 15 February 2016
Haringey and Enfield Green Party candidate for the London Assembly, Ronald Stewart, is delighted that on 15 February 2016, Haringey will introduce 20 mph speed limits on almost all roads in residential areas and town centres. Only main roads are still at 30 mph[1].
‘20 mph on residential roads has been Green Party policy for a long time. We are delighted to see local authorities embracing this policy’, says Ronald Stewart, a dedicated cyclist.
The signs showing the new speed limit - with the number 20 still hidden behind a black tape - have been up for some time.
Some of our activists, at times when this has been safe to do, have already tried to stay strictly within this limit. It may feel slow at first, but you soon get used to it. And if you maintain that speed (rather than speeding up and slowing down all the time) you get much better fuel economy which is better for the environment and better for your pocket.
RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is clear: ‘As well as road safety benefits, it is important to highlight the contribution that 20mph zones can have in encouraging more physical activity, such as walking and cycling, by contributing towards a safer environment. The money spent on the schemes can also greatly improve the character of a residential area and quality of life of the residents.’[2]
So this change in traffic management in Haringey is something that should be welcomed all round. ‘The next thing we need to do is to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads and their emissions. Then we can reduce the number of deaths not just from accidents but also from air pollution’ says Ronald Stewart. This is what Green Assembly Members will work to achieve.
[1] A map showing which roads are becoming 20 mph is available here: https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2058704207?prof...
[2] Accessed on 4 Feb 2016 at: http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/speed/20mph-zones-a...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Xavier on
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How will the 20 mph be enforced, and does it include Audis and BMWs which blight our roads with incredible speed?.
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Well most of the time, in a car you rarely get to go over 20mph anyway. But as a motorcyclist it's ridiculous. It's almost impossible to ride any decent sized bike at 20mph. You need the momentum to stay upright.
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Suggest you consider selling the bike if it's almost impossible to ride it at the new speed limit then. It might reduce the number of times I'm woken up by a loud bike going up my road over the 20 mph limit.
Or, take lessons - this 'decent sized bike' rider manages to ride slowly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-BDrAxjAFI
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I do love it when people who have clearly never ridden a motorcycle in their lives give me advice on how to ride one when I've been doing it for 25 years...
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I do love it when people who have clearly not understood what I've written take misplaced exception.
I just quoted your words back at you "almost impossible to ride it at the new speed limit".
Advice on how to ride slowly comes not from me but from the experienced bike rider in the video.
And yes a speed limit lower than the road conditions appear to justify is frustrating.
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Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
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The experienced rider's advice you so skillfully Googled relates to "slow riding".. that is riding in 1st/2nd gear around 10-12mph using mainly clutch control.... that is not the same as driving at 20mph on the open road, which when driving a close ratio geared bike is impossible to achieve using clutch control... If you had ever ridden a bike, you would understand the difference
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No you're right about residential roads not being the "open road". I used the term incorrectly. I only ride in London in built up areas and statistically I am at much more danger of death and injury than a pedestrian or car/lorry drivers (not sure about cyclists) But I'm not convinced that my safety is best served by a 20mph limit. So whilst I will stick to the limit because I am essentially a law-abiding citizen, I think there will be consequences of the type John D described and more motorcycle accidents may be one of them.
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As to the general consequences of frustration, I concur with you, and John D below.
I knew long ago from bike-riding mates that bike gearbox ratios are way different from cars, where you can trickle along at 3-5 mph with the clutch out.
The combination of 'ridiculous' and 'almost impossible' led to my response, in the context of: http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/my-new-year-s-resolutio...
If you see it as antagonistic I'm sorry - it was meant, and I hope expressed, as a raising of an eyebrow to the terms in your post.
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If you want to challenge my use of florid language, that's one thing... but don't as a non-motorcyclist tell me that I should "take lesons" when I am an extremely proficient rider (with advanced rider certificates and everything) and send me a completely irrelevant instructional video... you are pontificating on a subject of which you have no first hand experience
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Not much use in Islington then - or around Harringay where we already have a 20mph limit.
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