The BBC had a news item about the city of Portsmouth introducing a 20mph speed limit on most roads in the city. Interestingly whilst the web site does say that it is most roads with the limit, the TV story claimed it was all roads in the city. Another example of deceptive media reporting.
Whilst Portsmouth has introduced a 20mph limit on most roads, what was not mentioned is that the main arterial routes within the city are not affected … the 20mph limited roads are principally built-up residential areas. In fact the kind of roads you find at the beginning or end of your journey (unless you are a rat-runner) where such a terribly slow limit (at least 5 times quicker than most people walk) is going to have a relatively small effect on the motorists convenience. And hopefully will have a dramatic effect on the fatality of accidents on these roads.
It would be nice if they had introduced a slightly higher limit on the main routes through the city too … say 30mph. After all there are no real “through routes” in the island that Portsmouth is, so again it would only really be at the beginning or end of a motorist’s journey.
Back to the TV story: Rather than cover the details of the story accurately, the BBC chose to dig up some drivers who were insistent that the 20mph limit was unacceptable and would cause more accidents (and glossing over the fact that even if there were more accidents there would probably still be fewer deaths). Perhaps. But there again it would be less of an interesting story if the BBC hadn’t dug up the lunatic fringe of motorists who believe that it is their right to drive as fast as they wish whatever the effect on anyone else.