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Speeding | |
Speed Limits
A brief history of speed limits
Between 1865 and 1896 locomotives on the highway had to be preceded
by a pedestrian carrying a red flag and were subject to a speed
limit of 2mph in cities, towns and villages and 4mph elsewhere
On 28 January 1896, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent became
the first person in Great Britain to be successfully charged
with speeding. Travelling at approximately 8 mph, he had exceeded
the 2 mph speed limit for towns. Fined 1 shilling (5p) plus
costs, Arnold had been caught by a policeman who had given chase
on a bicycle so began one of the most lucrative ways of making
money by Local Authorities and the Exchequer
The maximum speed limit was then increased to 14mph and again,
in 1903, to 20mph.
In 1930 speed limits for cars and motorcycles were abolished.
In 1934 a general 30mph speed limit was imposed on roads in
built up areas (effectively roads with street lighting) which
remains to this day.
Other roads had no speed limits at all. It was not until 1965
that a national upper limit of 70mph was introduced for all
roads, including motorways.
Since 1977 the speed limit for cars and motorcycles on dual
carriageways has been 70mph, with a 60mph speed limit on single
carriageways.
In 1999 local authorities were given the powers to introduce
a 20mph speed limit without requiring the consent of the Secretary
of State.
Speed Limits are not only governed by the type of road you drive
on but the type of vehicle you are driving on that road it is
the drivers responsibility to know the limits applied to his
vehicle at all times
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KNOW YOUR SPEED LIMITS
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Built
up area (Street lit)
|
Single
carriageways
|
Dual
Carriageways
|
Motorways
|
| |
mph
|
mph
|
mph
|
mph
|
| Cars
& motorcycles (including car derived vans up to 2 tonnes
maximum laden weight) |
30
|
60
|
70
|
70
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| Cars
towing caravans or trailers (including car derived vans
and motorcycles) |
30
|
50
|
60
|
60
|
| Buses
and coaches (not exceeding 12 metres in overall length)
|
30
|
50
|
60
|
70
|
Who has responsibility for speed limits?
A central body called the Highways Agency sets speed limits
on the motorway and trunk road network. The Government provides
advice to traffic authorities (County, District and Borough
Councils, but not Parish Councils) on the setting of local speed
limits. It is for those authorities to decide what is the most
appropriate speed limit for their roads based upon local considerations
and circumstances.This would usually reflect factors such as
accident history, traffic flows, road traffic mix, levels of
adjacent development and road geometry.They can set speed limits
from 20mph to 70mph inclusive.
Speed Limits at Roadworks
Speed limits are often lowered at roadworks.There are valid
reasons for doing this.The safety of those dedicated to repairing
our road network is paramount and therefore vehicle speeds will
need to be lowered where workmen are likely to be present. In
addition, the carriageway will be narrowed to allow work to
progress. Such narrowing will inevitably mean it is appropriate
to reduce vehicle speeds. Lower speed limits will help to achieve
this.
Dual Carriageways
There is sometimes some confusion as to what a dual carriageway
is, especially for those vehicles restricted to speed limits
below that for cars, such as HGVs and Coaches. In short, a dual
carriageway is a road that is separated by a central reservation.A
central reservation is anything other than a pedestrian refuge
that separates vehicles going in one direction from vehicles
going in the other direction. It should be noted that although
it is more usual to have two or more lanes in each direction,
the number of lanes is not specified, i.e. it is the presence
of a central reservation rather than the number of lanes that
determines whether or not a road is a dual carriageway.
Different Speed Limits and how to recognise them
20mph Speed Limit
The 20mph speed limit is predominately used in urban areas.
Commonly you will see them in town centres, high streets, residential
roads and in the vicinity of schools.The aim of this limit is
to reduce vehicle speeds that allows for the presence of vulnerable
road users; cyclists, children and the elderly. More often than
not a 20mph speed limit will come in the form of a ‘zone’.A
zone will contain traffic calming features, usually road humps
that force drivers to reduce their speed to around 20mph. Research
on the effectiveness of these zones has shown that casualties
can fall by up to 70% where they have been introduced.
30mph Speed Limit
The 30mph speed limit is predominately used in urban areas (and
more recently in many villages) and usually is indicated by
the presence of a system of streetlights. The presence of street
lights is the way we recognise this speed limit and it is the
reason why you do not see, apart from where the limit starts,
30mph speed limit signs. Some believe this to be an odd way
of indicating a speed limit, but really it is simple. If there
are streetlights and no signs to the contrary a 30mph speed
limit is in force.
There are a number of unlit roads where a 30 mph speed limit
applies. In these circumstances the traffic authority must place
30 mph repeater signs.
40mph and 50mph
These two speed limits were introduced in the 1970s and are
predominately used in non-built up areas or in built up areas
where a higher speed is both safe and appropriate. In addition
to signing the beginning of the speed limit, traffic authorities
must also place speed limit repeater signs at regular intervals
along the length of road being enforced.The driver should therefore
be in no doubt of what the speed limit is for the road being
driven on.
The National Speed Limit
The national speed limit is indicated by a round sign showing
a white background with a diagonal black stripe across it. For
the majority of vehicles it means 60mph on single carriageway
roads and 70mph on dual carriageway roads (as detailed above,
some vehicles are restricted to lower speed limits).
This speed limit works on the same principle as the 30mph speed
limit in that it is not signed apart from where the speed limit
starts. It is predominately used along the rural road network.Again,
recognising it is simple.Where there are no streetlights and
no signs to the contrary, the national speed limit is in force.The
speed limit on a motorway is 70mph unless otherwise indicated.
But do speed limits make sense?
Most people believe in the need for there to be speed limits;
but who decides? The system may not be perfect but it is not
arbitrary. Detailed guidance on setting speed limits is provided
to all traffic authorities.Their Highway Engineers and Road
Safety Officers using their knowledge and experience will apply
the guidance.They will also consult the police who have the
task of enforcing speed limits. This ensures the limits are
set appropriately.
