This 'ere 20mph zone...
I did read something a while back about it being trialled in Acton. Now it's here. And it's weird. Isn't it? I'm sure it's been dreamt up by a robot. Especially given the speed camera on Horn Lane hasn't been re-programmed, so we're now in the uniquely odd position of being able to speed *up* through a camera site (maybe I could get minus 3 points to offset the ones I was unfairly dealt from the A406 cash-machine camera that no-one really knew about...)I know it's a trial, this 'ere 20mph zone, but it doesn't seem to have been announced very well, does it? I mean, if you're going to do something, at least do it well. Commit to it. Tell folks about it. Make up a song and dance routine, get it in front of people. Get excited and sell the benefits.It's just not very clear. And no-one's sticking to it. Which means there'll be some little handheld radar cameras poking out from behind bushes over the next few weeks, just so they can wag some fingers, tell a few folks off. 'You at the back there, not paying attention!'What are the ACTUAL reasons for doing it, anyway? Environmentally-speaking, I'm not sure it's any better than 30mph - certainly not from an emissions perspective, given that sticking to 20mph generally involves staying in a higher gear. Totally understand it from a safety perspective on residential side roads (which, by the way, a huge number of people also tend to ignore...) - but, really, is it going to be any safer on the bigger roads? Something else that kills, apart from speed, is 'cognitive load', ie. how many things drivers have to think about. Speed limits, speed cameras, pedestrians with headphones, pedestrians with phones, pedestrians with issues, cyclists, lorries, van drivers, bus drivers, taxis, Uber stoppers, broken bottles, shopping trollies, drivers who haven't really passed their test (they paid someone else to do it for them...) - etc etc. It all creates anxiety. And anxiety can leave people with very little bandwidth for the Art of Driving. Driving slowly also makes people more likely to chat without looking where they're going, reach for their mobile or simply fall asleep. Wouldn't it just be easier if we *all* got turned into little obedient robots? Present ourselves on a set date and time to Perceval House, get a small injection, totter off (a little buzzy between the ears) then - hey presto - Full Compliance! **7^^1123u9%%$###whizzwhizz&&**^^5%444biddlybiddly. [ends]
Glynne Steele ● 3644d8 Comments ● 3640d