Signage and 50mph limit

[Martin Cassini]

Ian has flagged up a couple of relevant articles, this one about distracting signage, and (shock horror!) this one about a new national 50mph speed limit to be enforced by average speed cameras. The assault on discretion, commonsense and individual responsibility gathers force. For Ian's (different) view, see Forum.

[Martin Cassini]

Completely agree. Appropriate speed at appropriate locations. Residents, like vulnerable road-users, should be able to live in peace. To me, though, psychological traffic calming is far preferable to limits. The sort of thing I mean is the sort of thing that Ben Hamilton-Baillie does: re-design roads to enhance context and communicate a sense of place, which stimulates environmental respect and appropriate conduct. There is a host of culturally constructive steps that can be taken, on a level far above the sledgehammer blow of more control and enforcement.

[Ian Perry]

I am in the countryside. If I step out of the house, I can hear the noise of car engines and tyres on the main road. Those making this awful and persistent noise are mostly obeying the 60mph speed limit - others are not. There are few incidents on this road and those travelling at 80 or 90mph are using their discretion to determine what is safe, appropriate and sensible for them, yet I like others have to live with their noise and levels of PM10 that are directly linked to the speed that they choose (apparently responsibly) to travel at.

Just because we can drive a vehicle at a certain speed and avoid collisions, does not mean that we do not have a negative effect on the health and welfare others.