| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Roehampton Lane 20mph from 20 March 2026 plus extra speed cameras | |
| Posted by: | Paul James | |
| Date/Time: | 01/03/26 17:48:00 |
| >Slow means slow. 20mph is not slow. If you think it is, try driving into a wall at 20mph and then after peeling yourself out of the airbags tell me it feels slow after that. >Taking more time to do something is not good for business Aside from the absolutist thinking here (do you bake sourdough, brew beer, age cheese, drive or cycle? A lot of things can be better when done slowly and carefully), what does actually slow enroute delivery drivers down in West London? It isn't whether or not you can get up to 30 between junctions instead of 20. It's congestion. And what is congestion? Too many people in motor vehicles trying to occupy the road space at the same time. So the real question is, why are there so many vehicles in West London slowing down delivery drivers? Because a huge proportion of those vehicles are being used to make short car trips, the kind that might be easily be walked, cycled for those that can, or done by bus if the environment made those options attractive and safe. And what pushes people into cars for short trips they'd otherwise walk or ride? Roads designed to prioritise fast driving over everything else. Streets that feel unsafe or unpleasant to cycle on. Pavements narrowed to make space for parking. Slow buses (congestion again!) Junctions engineered for vehicle throughput rather than people. So if you care about delivery drivers getting around efficiently, the solution isn't to let everyone drive faster between junctions. It's to reduce the number of cars clogging the roads in the first place, especially many of the the short-hop ones that don’t really need to be there. When traffic moves at 30mph or more, most people simply don’t feel safe walking or cycling alongside it. When they don't feel safe, they might not walk or cycle. When they don't walk or cycle, they might choose to drive, even for short trips. When they drive short trips, they add to congestion. When congestion increases, delivery drivers slow down. So, if people getting up to 35mph between junctions make the roads feel too dangerous, you'll get more poeple in cars, and slower deliveries. Vicious circle David. Is your bread ready yet? |