Go Aberdeen

Aberdeen have brought in a 20 mph speed limit in their city centre:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/5208160.stm

Of course there’s been considerable whining from the business community. But I think it’s a good idea, and who can drive faster than 20mph in a city centre anyway? And who wants to go shopping in a street full of traffic fumes, or unload a car with people speeding past?

Hopefully something similar will happen in Helensburgh soon, at least in the main part of the town centre where the shops are.

Obvious thing about Norway: speed limits in town centres are 30 kph, rising pretty quickly to 40 and 50 for more suburban roads. So that’s approx. 6 mph increments for speed limits.

Perhaps, in the longer run, the UK could adopt new, realistic speed limits based on the actual nature of the roads, in 5 mph increments? Perhaps, then, people would be more willing to stick to those limits? I could go on in some detail but that would probably be boring.