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[stonemonkey]

All over edinburgh more and more roads are becoming 20mph limits, and it's not just side streets, is this happening anywhere else?

When I was wee I remember road safety was hammered into me at school, at home and from the tv, now it's like people just walk out in front of cars and expect them to stop, I've seen people with pushchairs push there kids out in front of them in front of cars. OK so slowing the traffic down is going to reduce serious injuries to these muppets but it's going to make the problem even worse with people more and more likely just to walk out without looking.

I know one of the problems is that because of the school run now kids aren't exposed to the traffic as pedestrians in the same way until they're older, but anyone with kids know if there's as much campaigning at schools or on tv as there used to be or where this thing that you just walk out in front of cars comes from?

/rant

[andrew]

The housing estate where I grew up has had a 20mph limit for a few years now, not to mention mountainous speed bumps built on a hill, with the topsides being nearly on the level, and islands which narrow the road width on corners which are nearly blind. I remember asking my folks when this nanny state nonsense went in if there had been any accidents that he could remember. My parents have lived in the estate since it was built and neither could recall a single accident or anything that warranted these measures. Now you have to play dodgems with the bus into Aberdeen on single vehical width near blind corners!

I remember sitting in the gym hall at primary school watching some actor types doing a thing about the green cross code with Noddy and his car. Plus my folks hammered road safety into me when I was a kid, especially so seeing as the Aberdeen bus going right past their house, usually trying to achieve the speed of sound seeing as it's often late.

[stonemonkey]

Some of the road calming is ridiculous, I think the worst I've seen (and almost crashed into in the dark) was a 2 way road narrowed to 1 lane down the middle by planting black bollards down the middle of each lane.

They put speedbumps, slalom gates and a 6mph limit for cyclists on the canal towpath, if you cycle at that limit you get overtaken by the joggers and they had to change the speedbumps because people couldn't get over them with pushchairs.

[myownalias]

Unfortunately here in Kansas, pedestrians have the right of way on roads, what sense does that make?

Because of this; pedestrians walk straight out in front of cars; at least twice a week a have to brake heavily around the school as parent and child walks straight out into the road without a single glance, luckily I drive at 15mph around the school, so I can stop quickly. This is a stupid idea, not every driver is paying attention to the act of driving a car and with pedestrians having the idea that they have the right of way and that traffic has to stop for them, it's a disastrous combination. Almost ran over a dozy woman last night when backing out of a parking space, I had my reverse lights on, and slowly backing up and she decides to walk behind my car anyway, and the problem is that if I hit her, it would have been my fault and I'd probably be facing a lawsuit!

[/RANT]

[Jabberwocky]

It annoys me the whole you where driving it was your fault thing. Motor Bikers are the ones that annoy me the most on that account. Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

[stonemonkey]

That's nuts!

Around a lot of schools here there's a variable limit, 30 down to 20 when school's going in or out which is fine, but giving pedestrians the right of way is asking for accidents.
If a driver does something stupid and causes an accident then he/she's responsible, the same should apply to pedestrians.

[stonemonkey]

It annoys me the whole you where driving it was your fault thing. Motor Bikers are the ones that annoy me the most on that account. Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

I cycled for a few years and mostly the drivers were pretty good (there were 1 or 2 really stupid ones) but a lot of things other cyclists did annoyed me then and it's no surprise drivers hate them.

[AK86]

I drive buses for my job and amazing how many people actually look and see me coming yet still decide to step out and attempt suicide ! There seems to be a culture of wanting to get places as quickly as possible forgetting about their own and others safety in doing it and the one thing that really winds me up is older (vulnerable) people attempting to cross a busy road full of buses in middle of towns/city centres when there is a crossing metres away just use it there is no rush

[What's Burning?]

The ratio of stupid drivers to stupid cyclists I think is probably equal. A lot has to do with the general area. I grew up in the NYC area and there's a remarkably low number of accidents there perhaps because the density just makes people be that much more aware. We've all seen clips of intersections in India where there's a dizzying amount of cross traffic yet not a single accident.

In situations where the driver and pedestrians or cyclists have a lack of attention is where accidents happen.

[scotty]

Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

YES. Seems most of the cyclists think they can do whatever the hell they want. Nearly been hit by em a couple of times when they haven't bothered to stop for red lights.

[LewEngBridewell]

Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

YES. Seems most of the cyclists think they can do whatever the hell they want. Nearly been hit by em a couple of times when they haven't bothered to stop for red lights.

A lot of them seem to like to use the side-walk as well.

[scotty]

Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

YES. Seems most of the cyclists think they can do whatever the hell they want. Nearly been hit by em a couple of times when they haven't bothered to stop for red lights.

A lot of them seem to like to use the side-walk as well.

Yep. That happened to me today in fact, someone was on the pavement WHEN THERE WAS A BLOODY DEDICATED CYCLE LANE JUST IN THE DAMN ROAD RIGHT NEXT TO IT.

[andrew]

Also living and driving around oxford with all the cyclist is anothe thing that makes me want to vent

YES. Seems most of the cyclists think they can do whatever the hell they want. Nearly been hit by em a couple of times when they haven't bothered to stop for red lights.

A lot of them seem to like to use the side-walk as well.

Yep. That happened to me today in fact, someone was on the pavement WHEN THERE WAS A BLOODY DEDICATED CYCLE LANE JUST IN THE DAMN ROAD RIGHT NEXT TO IT.

Well maybe if you lot in cars would actually learn how wide and long your car is and how to work the left wing mirror and blind spot the roads would be a damn sight safer for cyclists!

Motor Bikers are the ones that annoy me the most on that account.

I remember sitting at a set of lights a while back, I positioned the car a bit closer to the right of the lane than I normally would and a motorbikist calling me a w****r as it made the gap for them to squeeze through slightly smaller, as this muppet was clearly so much more important than every other road user that they had to squeeze their way between cars to get to a red light first.

[scotty]

Well maybe if you lot in cars would actually learn how wide and long your car is and how to work the left wing mirror and blind spot the roads would be a damn sight safer for cyclists!

This was a marked cycle lane, don't be ridiculous. But you drive yourself judging by your following comment in the same post, so you make no sense saying 'you lot in cars'.

[andrew]

Well maybe if you lot in cars would actually learn how wide and long your car is and how to work the left wing mirror and blind spot the roads would be a damn sight safer for cyclists!

This was a marked cycle lane, don't be ridiculous. But you drive yourself judging by your following comment in the same post, so you make no sense saying 'you lot in cars'.

I've not driven for a while now, can't afford a car.