This is such a good example of the fact that physical layout has much more to say than speed limits. If you have ever been to a Japanese city you’ll know that no one (almost) drives faster than 30 km/h on these streets anyway due to their design.
The change in limits around schools had had an effect however:
The introduction in 2011 of “zone 30” areas on a limited number of residential streets and along school routes resulted in a 30% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries, the Mainichi said.
Suggesting that drivers do, indeed go above 30 in narrow roads.
Yeah but I think this needs a two pronged approach. Streets designed to encourage drivers to go slower, and speed limits that match those streets.
If your streets don't match the lower speed limits, people will drive at faster speeds anyway. If the speed limit is higher than what is appropriate for the street design, then most people will drive an appropriate speed but you will always have the dicks saying well the speed limit is X so I will drive that speed.
I think in general we (as a species I guess) do a shit job of city planning. I like to imagine bulldozing my city and starting again, designing it with walking as the primary transport method, pedestrians with absolute right of way, neighbourhoods having almost everything you need within walking distance, separated bike lanes for further distances, and a small number of corridors for people to get across the city in a car where necessary. If I were a trillionaire I think that's what I'd spend my money on.
Edit: sorry that was a bit of a tangent 😅
If your streets don't match the lower speed limits, people will drive at faster speeds anyway.
My city recently ran an experiment. They deployed photo radar cameras that would automatically ticket speeders. Drivers slowed down. Then, the provincial government banned photo radar because speeders complained. Drivers sped up.
I get what you're saying: better street design will slow some drivers down. I'm all for better street design. But until we get that, enforcement is a very effective substitute.
Yeah here we are starting to implement average speed cameras. Instead of cameras at one point that catch people who might momentarily be going over the speed limit, they put one at each end of a stretch of road (typically a section of road without many intersections, over a km or a few, so not city streets), and ticket you if your average is much over the limit.
This isn't the US so we aren't talking flocks, we have privacy laws so while they track plates, I think I read somewhere they are hashed for matching and then deleted after a short period of time (we can only keep personal information for the time needed to use it for the purpose it was collected).
Speed cameras definitely reduce speeds, and we've recently started signposting the hell out of them because after all the intend is the lower speed not revenue collection (the government agency managing them doesn't keep the money, specially to avoid this).
Why did they have 60km/h speed limits in narrow city streets at all?
he new limit, which went into effect on Tuesday, applies to residential roads with no centre line or maximum speed signs, media reports said.
So not all city streets if they're already signed higher (many are). Additionally, this is not just in cities; I live in the countryside and tons of roads are unmarked with no center line. Terrible wording from the guardian.
Huh. Maybe those Sonic '06 signs were accurate after all.
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