Then I wonder how you manage the other limits - 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 without constant reference to your speedo.
Cheap consumer units, who uses them, are they permitted?
- Thread starter ericmark
- Start date
Then I wonder how you manage the other limits - 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 without constant reference to your speedo.
I encounter 20MPH zones quite frequently, for a start I'm right on the edge of a school period zone, but no I don't think it's feasible to monitor 20 by feel in the vehicles I have access to. The feel of 30, 40 etc is reasonable but with the lack of noise below 30 one has to rely on the feeling of speed and 20MPH
EDIT: the irony is it woulld be quicker to walk a footpath to our friends house if the NIMBY's hadn't got a road to the carpark closed.
to me too, and I agree wholeheartedly
Some friends of ours have lived in the same place since I've known them (30 years) and in the last year it's changed to nearly 1/2 mile at 20 to their house. Limiting ones speed to that extent is tricky with the wide and fairly clear roads. Not so difficult in places where the roads are narrow or full of parked vans.
EDIT: the irony is it woulld be quicker to walk a footpath to our friends house if the NIMBY's hadn't got a road to the carpark closed.
Last edited:
Despite the increasing prevalence of 20 mph limits, they are far less common than the others you mention, so I haven't had much experience of them. I would guess that well under 1% of the miles I drive are on 20 mph roads.
Kind Regards, John
Perhaps I have the dis/advantage, of being surrounded by a 20 which extends 1/2 to a mile from home?
Indeed. As I said, if one encounters such things on a regular basis, I'm sure that one gets used to them, and judging one's speed appropriately.
In my case, there are no such limits in my immediate vicinity (other than about a 100 yard stretch outside of the village school, which is on a 'dead-end' road down which I virtually never drive!). There are a lot of them in/around Oxford (about 15 miles from me), but I try to avoid any driving in/around Oxford like the plague, for multiple reasons, so encounter them very rarely!
Kind Regards, John
Mine is 1/4 mile tops but only morning and afternoon, with no fixed times, and as my road is about 30-40 yards behind the sign, it's very easy to not realise it's restricted.
- Joined
- 7 Sep 2022
- Messages
- 4,354
- Reaction score
- 1,244
- Country
I was more thinking a bonging noise when you go over the speed limit.. If the car won't do it there are probably a thousand apps for it on your smartphone of choice..
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 27,438
- Reaction score
- 3,316
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
It was stated that the 20 MPH limit also requires traffic calming measures, this was the reason given for the use of the non enforceable 20 MPH signs with red 20 inside a black ring used at schools in Flintshire, the problem was as not enforceable they had no cancel signs, so drivers in Flintshire got use to slowing down past school then speeding up again without any end of speed limit sign.
But signs on side roads often look as if they are for major routes, and often the signs have faded in the sun, so it is hard to work out which are valid and which are not, the temporary signs which change from 30 to 20 at school opening and closing times are good, but the real danger is parked cars near school entrances, and cars doing U turns. I know one school would have gates open until coming out time and then closed until all pupils had stopped milling around, i.e. were in the cars, then gates opened, so no cars should have been on the road, and no pupils walking around while cars were moving, seemed so simple, but only seen at one school.
However that is not what the tread was about, although it does show the problems understanding what should be done, and what needs to be done.
As a home owner I can weigh up pros and cons and decide if I want AFDD, SPD, RCD, or any other protection, and decide if I want to risk a freezer failing, or other things which the tripping of a RCD can result in, so do I spend out on RCBO's or take the chance a RCD covering many circuits will not trip.
Where this does not work is with rented accommodation, as cost to fit all RCBO's is the landlords but the cost of loss of food when a freezer fails is the tenants, forcing landlords to fit RCD protection is not always in the tenants interest.
But signs on side roads often look as if they are for major routes, and often the signs have faded in the sun, so it is hard to work out which are valid and which are not, the temporary signs which change from 30 to 20 at school opening and closing times are good, but the real danger is parked cars near school entrances, and cars doing U turns. I know one school would have gates open until coming out time and then closed until all pupils had stopped milling around, i.e. were in the cars, then gates opened, so no cars should have been on the road, and no pupils walking around while cars were moving, seemed so simple, but only seen at one school.
However that is not what the tread was about, although it does show the problems understanding what should be done, and what needs to be done.
As a home owner I can weigh up pros and cons and decide if I want AFDD, SPD, RCD, or any other protection, and decide if I want to risk a freezer failing, or other things which the tripping of a RCD can result in, so do I spend out on RCBO's or take the chance a RCD covering many circuits will not trip.
Where this does not work is with rented accommodation, as cost to fit all RCBO's is the landlords but the cost of loss of food when a freezer fails is the tenants, forcing landlords to fit RCD protection is not always in the tenants interest.
My 'in the dash' satnav can do that, very annoying so i turned it off.
We have clear large signs on the boundaries, plus paint on the road and 20 repeaters throughout, all with red border, but they are still regularly ignored by most drivers. Often they will be doing near double the limit, there is no enforcement at all, apart from once when I pressured them into enforcing it. The result, as expected - most drivers were ignoring the limit, even bus drivers.
Whether by coincidence, or design, it is quite easy to monitor speed in my current car.
20 is minimum throttle application over idle in 3rd, 30 in 4th and 40 in 5th!
So presumably not very useful then, in a 20 zone I'd be expecting to be in 4th gear.
Then change your expectations
It took a little getting used to, in my last car I was in 5th at 30; but the economy is better on this one.
....and out of curiosity, I have just checked gear ratios. My old cars 5th was 0.897.
My new ones 4th is 0.975, with 5th being 0.767.
(Final drive ratios were similar for both)
So... useful enough for me!
- Joined
- 7 Sep 2022
- Messages
- 4,354
- Reaction score
- 1,244
- Country
I have a friend that used to pilot a vehicle according to a similar set of rules - "you have to be in second gear to drive round a corner in town" etc
Driving by numbers!
I assume you are not putting me in that category.
The reason I'd be expecting to be in 4th gear for most of the time I'm driving in a 20MPH zone is the engine would basically be around idling speed and not labouring in a situation where very little acceleration is required and in my view and experience of driving the vehicles I currently own is the most suitable combination for thr situation. Added to that I have instantaneous fuel comsumption displayed and I can be economical and therefore greener by letting it help me .
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Similar threads
