I mean this is anecdotal based on my friends but a few of my asthmatic mates have noticed an improvement in their asthma control
Speed Limit Reduction in Wales from next week
- Thread starter Big Andy
- Start date
A lot of these tests don't bother with testing lower speeds since its well understood cars are less efficient at low speed, its a bell curve, but there are some studies including lower speeds. This is from the Canadian Government and the RAC did one about 10 years ago:
Whilst a lot of the inefficiency at low speed is down to the lack of distance covered the other factor is that cars will maintain a lower gear and higher revs at low speeds. At 40-50mph in most cars you will be in top gear doing little over 1000rpm. At 30mph you will be in 3rd or 4th at similar revs. At 20mph you will be in 2nd with the car hunting for 3rd. Part of this is the way gear ratios work with engine revs, and part is that cars are geared for the common speed limits and 20mph is not one of them.
Really i wouldn't read too much into a single study saying 20mph limits are better for efficiency, not when its commissioned by the London council to support their 20mph limits, and especially when it disagrees with virtually everything else out there. Although, reading that study it doesn't appear to even say that. It says 'no net negative impact' on fuel economy. The only benefit is on brakes and tyres which is a miniscule percentage of an average car's emissions.
The one where you don't accelerate and brake all the time.
Holding a steady 2500rpm instead of 1900rpm is better fuel economy? Not sure how that works
Hasn't been great so far. Early confusion at the start of the week because some areas were listed as both 30 and 20 mph, and now everything just feels to slow if i'm being honest, especially on quieter roads at night time.
You get the idiots that drive right up your arse because they couldn't give a feck about the speed limit which doesn't help.
I don't drive much, so I can reserve my moaning, but I can see it pissing a lot of people off.
You get the idiots that drive right up your arse because they couldn't give a feck about the speed limit which doesn't help.
I don't drive much, so I can reserve my moaning, but I can see it pissing a lot of people off.
I just did a fairly unscientific test over a week. Unlike @Zlatan 7's car my 10 year old Mazda can coast quite comfortably at about 1800 @ 30 and about 1500 @ 20 (1400 and 1100 works, but makes me feel a bit nervous). On the negative side it takes me about 5 minutes longer on average to complete a 30 minute journey (now 35 minutes) - so my engine is definitely running for longer. Environmentally it feels like it would be something approaching a wash.
The extra time isn't a big deal for me, I reckon I'd get used to it fairly quickly, but I imagine that this extra journey time compounds when your industry is reliant on transport. Say it takes 10% longer to get somewhere; probably means that you can do x% fewer deliveries in a day, visit x% fewer patients, pick up x% fewer fares etc. I can see why certain already under pressure industries might be a bit upset.
The extra time isn't a big deal for me, I reckon I'd get used to it fairly quickly, but I imagine that this extra journey time compounds when your industry is reliant on transport. Say it takes 10% longer to get somewhere; probably means that you can do x% fewer deliveries in a day, visit x% fewer patients, pick up x% fewer fares etc. I can see why certain already under pressure industries might be a bit upset.
I hate it so far, my 13 year old diesel car is not liking it anyway, spending far more time in second gear with higher revs, may coast a while in 3rd at 20 but soon as there’s a slight hill or the car in front wants to do 15-20 then I’m changing down.
the amount of money wasted putting 20 signs up on streets that don’t need it, 50 yard dead end lanes for example is staggering.
roads with 30 one way, 20 the other
Roads with no signs that people are doing 15-20 on just incase is quite frankly dangerous,
I stick to the limit religiously in work van and this week I’ve been beeped at and overtaken quite a few times, it’s turned the roads into racetracks.
I’ve never seen so many tail backs and cars travelling so close to each other.
wales is not a city, these rural areas and small towns do not need so many 20 zones, it’s like living in toy town when you see cars crawling around on wide open streets with hedges either side of the road. I feel sorry for carers, doctors, delivery drivers etc who have had their working day extended so much or the patients who will not be seen
there’s a petition running to look into this that has 350,000 signatures in a few days, people are clearly against it.
impossibleThere has been an average speed reduction of 2.4 mph apparently. Was it really worth people getting so excited about?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68056865
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68056865
I am amazed that the U.K. actually uses miles and miles per hour. 
Why are you amazed given that the UK invented them?I am amazed that the U.K. actually uses miles and miles per hour.
Indeed. There is loads of shit in Wales already without making it even worse.
Idiotic but not unexpected. We didn't win WW2 singled handed just for Johnny foreigner to enforce their logical units systems on us (except the ones we want to use as Imperial is shit).I am amazed that the U.K. actually uses miles and miles per hour.
Feck imperial. Metric is worth going to war for
10% slower. Not so bad on a commute; still reckon it's likely crap if you're a delivery driver/taxi driver/carer or rely on them. Have they published any crash statistics?
I don't know. To be relevant they would have to include the rates of survival and avoidance of life-changing injury I suppose, and I guess it will be quite a while before any stats like that can be considered meaningful.
I've been out the loop with this but 20mph has been a thing for a little while in London and I don't remember there being that much of a fuss (might be wrong on this but I thought the transition was fairly smooth). Is it causing that much of an impact in Wales?
A lot of it is political - it being enforced when a huge majority didn't want it. It didn't help that when it was first talked about it was sold by environmental claims later proved to be false.
I'm telling you anything you want within 30 minutes of being forced to drive at 20 mph with empty road space ahead, just to move faster
I'm very careful driving in school zones and speed restricted zones within cities, but at some point it's obvious they want you out of the car and riding the bus, because 25 mph limits are just ridiculous on open avenues and boulevards.
To be honest, it's no slower really speaking in terms of driving around urban roads, as people generally go around 25-30mph anyway. Most of the longer journeys are on A roads so it's not that much different.
What does stick out around here is the choice of roads they have picked - some make absolutely no sense at all. I am all in favour of limiting it around schools etc no problem at all.
No. It’s mostly Tory councillors from England creating Facebook culture wars in Wales in order to weaken the National Welsh government. There was a bit about it earlier this week. Loads of noise to no end. All fart and no shit.
It’s all utter bollocks. 20mph limits improve survival outcomes. Most people are still driving at 30mph on open single lane roads (on the tiny number of roads that saw a reduced speed introduced) as they generally drove 40mph on them.
It’s painfully boring and will be forgotten about when adults are in charge of the Uk again.
Its the way it was done that has annoyed everybody, nobody wanted it and it was forced through on false environmental grounds. 20 works in big cities but in Wales its 20 everywhere. Half a million have signed the petition against it in a country of 3 million total. Maybe it will he repealed but it will definitely make it much harder to implement lower limits anywhere else.
Statistically 2.4 mph slower speed probably measurably decreases the risk of dying in a crash. Particularly for the pedestrian.
Why don't we just make Wales smaller? That way you get around faster
Maybe it's more for sheep survival in the Welsh thinking
