SPEED HUMPS are set to be banished from 20mph zones, the Government announced today, but plans for a blanket 20mph speed limit in many residential areas were also unveiled, in a move to reduce pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
Road Safety Minister Paul Clark announced 20mph zones must no longer be accompanied by speed humps or other 'traffic calming' measures, however a new-style wireless speed camera network was in the pipeline.
As reported last week, a new government initiative is planning to install wireless cameras capable of communicating with each other to monitor a vehicle's speed. Anything moving at an average of four miles per hour above the 20mph limit will result in an automatic 3 penalty points and a £60 fine.
Safety statistics have shown one in 40 pedestrians struck by a car at 20mph dies compared to one in five at 30mph.
Mr Clark said: "The number of people killed and seriously injured on Britain's roads has fallen by 40 per cent since the mid-1990s and Britain now has the joint safest roads in the world."
But despite the optimism Mr Clark went on to say:
"Too many pedestrians and cyclists - including many children - are still being killed or hurt on the roads around their homes and schools.
"We have seen that 20mph zones with traffic calming measures can make a real difference to the safety of local roads."'
Can you remember the last time you saw a road safety advert putting the emphasis on the pedestrian to take more care?
Bring back the Green Cross Man!
*edit*
Of course the Green Cross Man would have to undergo all relevant police checks...
... and the cross could be offensive to certain religions....
... probably couldn't call him green anymore as we are not allowed to describe people by their colour...
..plus the job title would have to be 'person' rather than man...
F*ck it - bring back Tufty!!!
TRL research has shown that "signed only" 20mph limits simply don't work and require physical measures to ensure reduced speeds.
The linked camera system is an excellent idea but is unfortunately fatally flawed by cost.
Personally I don't like speed cushions as they are generally uneffective (people insisting on speeding simply drive over them at speed) and prefer such measures as speed tables, gateway treatments, priority chicanes and so forth.
F*ck it - bring back Tufty!!!
But that would upset the grey squirels who would demand to be treated the same & given the same chances in the public eye
"The linked camera system is an excellent idea"
Might be effective in reducing speeds, not too comfortable with the surveillance implications tho. Particularly if they roll the system out from the 20mph limits to all roads.
They did some great Adds in N ireland about kid on mobile walking out in front of a van.
Dont Know if they showed it on the mainland as was pretty graphic
Spend bit more money on teaching pedestrians not to walk out in front of cars as it hurts a lot and get Cyclists to buy some lights and wear somthing bright at night.
Might be bit more cost effective
Yes Mick , they did that here but not for long, I think it was considered too graphic.
I have seen it & still even though I know how it was done, find it hard to believe that it was not the kid that the van hit in the ad.
They did a whole series of them kid speeding going over a hedge into a garden and killing a child, drunk bloke, and a couple of bike ones guy in a chair with his wike feeding him through a straw. That one is on around NW200 an TT time.
They were relly well made should have got lot more air time whats worse being upset by an advert or having a loved one killed or injured