15mph Speed Limit To Be Enforced

[Guest mattsta1964]

Notice the use of the word FORCE

Daily Telegraph 24th march

I've said it many times before on this website and many other forums and websites

This government is collectivist, fascist, authortarian, totally against the British people in every aspect and frankly I sense that we are approaching a point where avoiding slavery and serfom can only be avoided by non democratic means.

The British people MUST remove these evil bastards from office IMMEDIATELY

[alexw]

Notice the use of the word FORCE

Daily Telegraph 24th march

I've said it many times before on this website and many other forums and websites

This government is collectivist, fascist, authortarian, totally against the British people in every aspect and frankly I sense that we are approaching a point where avoiding slavery and serfom can only be avoided by non democratic means.

The British people MUST remove these evil bastards from office IMMEDIATELY

If it were done in the correct/right way with proper planning etc it could be a good idea. With NuLabour - sheer lunacy.

And I wonder how many consultants they'll employ on this boon-doggle?

[Optobear]

Notice the use of the word FORCE

Daily Telegraph 24th march

I've said it many times before on this website and many other forums and websites

This government is collectivist, fascist, authortarian, totally against the British people in every aspect and frankly I sense that we are approaching a point where avoiding slavery and serfom can only be avoided by non democratic means.

The British people MUST remove these evil bastards from office IMMEDIATELY

Not sure about that, but the Times yesterday had a story about bike shops having to fit bells to bikes or face criminal charges.

I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't april 1st. But the legislation exists.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/si/si2003/20031101.htm

Would an appropriate non-democratic protest be a silent protest, eg not ringing the bicycle bells?

[yawnIHateSundays]

People just won't go into these new towns. They will go the way of the tower blocks planned in the 60's by similar loopy politicians.

[Darkman]

All homes would be built within 400 yards of public transport stop and 800 yards from shops.

People essentially trapped in their little areas, discouraged from venturing further. It's like a throwback to medieval times. Chances are that people won't ditch their cars anyway, because driving is an enjoyable experience and linked to a feeling of freedom IMO. And as they don't stop driving, they just drive slower and how much more pollution will that mean?

[Ah-so]

Easter weekend - hasn't it ideal for those without cars? Even going out with a car has been bad enough, let alone waiting in the freezing rain for a bus on a bank holiday timetable.

[Optobear]

People just won't go into these new towns. They will go the way of the tower blocks planned in the 60's by similar loopy politicians.

Interesting to note that Caroline Flint (the minister responsible for this particular piece of lunacy) has a flag on her ministerial car.

http://www.carolineflint.co.uk/news/june2006/worldcup.htm

Perhaps she might choose to make 60% of her journeys by public transport to set an example. Her driver Barry could carry a flag in front of her?

What total hypocrisy. She deserves to lose her seat at the next election.

[Gone baby gone]

People essentially trapped in their little areas, discouraged from venturing further. It's like a throwback to medieval times. Chances are that people won't ditch their cars anyway, because driving is an enjoyable experience and linked to a feeling of freedom IMO. And as they don't stop driving, they just drive slower and how much more pollution will that mean?

Unless they build a rail infrastructure, nobody will be moving around these towns very quickly. 15mph buses anyone?

[tegan]

Force people out of their cars onto public transport - public transport that is dirty, unreliable, late and the most expensive in europe. Whilst New Lab fart about around the edges with plastic bags and surveillance cameras in bins, they do bugger all about trying to improve Britain's shameful, pathetically inadequate national disgrace of a public transport system. If New Labour genuinely cared about fighting 'climate change' they'd save the hundreds of billions they spunk away bailing out failed banks, buying nukes and killing brown people abroad and use it to subsidise public transport so it's actually something people want to use.

[Tony2007]

Notice the use of the word FORCE

Daily Telegraph 24th march

I've said it many times before on this website and many other forums and websites

This government is collectivist, fascist, authortarian, totally against the British people in every aspect and frankly I sense that we are approaching a point where avoiding slavery and serfom can only be avoided by non democratic means.

The British people MUST remove these evil bastards from office IMMEDIATELY

At first glance it would appear that April 1st has come early.

However nothing surprises me anymore. The agenda is unravelling at a very alarming speed but nothing seems to raise the pulse of the sheeple. I think we have reached the stage where the vast majority of people just don't care about such concepts as 'freedom' or 'truth'.

"Anyway we won the war right? So we must be free innit."

[cs02rm0]

And this is done in the name of global warming? The last time I checked, cars weren't more efficient at lower speeds.

Aren't car speedometers only calibrated from 30mph anyway? I'm not sure how enforceable this is, I didn't think they could do more than warn you for speeding in a 20 as it is.

Either way, complete lunacy.

[shippers]

Well you don't have to buy a house there.

It's a bit like people who move next to a footy ground, and then complain about all the mess on a match day. Simple solution, if you don't like the idea, don't go there.

IMHO it's a good thing. We don't all want all want cars to be at the centre of our communities. As opposed to being dictatorial I actually think it's providing choice to those who want to live in a town, but without the car driver as always coming on top.

Also again IMHO, at the least it will provide a good comparative study about how we might to move populations around in the future.

[cs02rm0]

As opposed to being dictatorial I actually think it's providing choice to those who want to live in a town, but without the car driver as always coming on top.

Surely the way to provide the choice without being dictatorial is to offer something better, not ****** up a working system to the point that it's worse than the mess they want you to use?

[shippers]

Oh and about the speed thing. I take it people saw the episode of Top Gear when they raced a boat, a bicycle and a car across London to City Airport, and the bicycle won.

Overall travelling time, cycling in towns is actually the fastest way to get about. Add some decent bus lanes in these new towns and I reckon people will be happy as larry getting about without a car.

And to reiterate, no-one is forcing YOU to move there.

[Sofa Spud]

What the government needs to do is to reduce people's need to travel. A lot of people are slaves to their cars for commuting etc. and would love to be able to just wander down the road to work.

Private motorists (including myself, I commute by car) have had it their own way for too long and now the game is nearly up.

This thread is a bit of a wind-up so I thought I'd stir things up a bit more.

[Gone baby gone]

IMHO it's a good thing. We don't all want all want cars to be at the centre of our communities. As opposed to being dictatorial I actually think it's providing choice to those who want to live in a town, but without the car driver as always coming on top.

If they don't want cars... why build roads? Why not build cycleways and footpaths that lead to a light rail system? A 15mph limit is pointless from a carbon reduction point of view. Good from a safety point of view, but then having no cars in the centre would be better from both PoV.

I don't want to live there, but I wouldn't mind setting up a clutch repair and replacement business in the towns

[deflation]

Force people out of their cars onto public transport - public transport that is dirty, unreliable, late and the most expensive in europe.

A trotted out cliche which isn't true for everywhere. In the Midlands, its true the buses are as you describe but the trains and Metro services have, IMHO, improved. And if you can bear the buses, they ARE cheap, £6 for a ticket to use any bus for a week (off-peak)

London is probably a different issue, however!

[bazzer]

I didnt think that speed limits ending in 5 were enforceable? Seeing as my speedo doesn't have a line for 15mph.

[tegan]

Oh and about the speed thing. I take it people saw the episode of Top Gear when they raced a boat, a bicycle and a car across London to City Airport, and the bicycle won.

Overall travelling time, cycling in towns is actually the fastest way to get about. Add some decent bus lanes in these new towns and I reckon people will be happy as larry getting about without a car.

And to reiterate, no-one is forcing YOU to move there.

If it's positive choice they provide, ie reliable, fast, affordable public transport then enough people will use it for it to make a significant difference. But that's not how new labour work, they're only interested in telling us what we can't do, lecturing us about how we should behave and generally been authoritarian lunatics. It's all stick and no viable alternatives.

[Guest mattsta1964]

Well you don't have to buy a house there.

It's a bit like people who move next to a footy ground, and then complain about all the mess on a match day. Simple solution, if you don't like the idea, don't go there.

IMHO it's a good thing. We don't all want all want cars to be at the centre of our communities. As opposed to being dictatorial I actually think it's providing choice to those who want to live in a town, but without the car driver as always coming on top.

Also again IMHO, at the least it will provide a good comparative study about how we might to move populations around in the future.

Really!

How very noble of you

How the hell are people going to get to work?

[shippers]

Surely the way to provide the choice without being dictatorial is to offer something better, not ****** up a working system to the point that it's worse than the mess they want you to use?

A quote from the article

"Speed limits of just 15 miles-per-hour are to be introduced on major roads in planned new towns across the country as part of an effort to reduce global warming."

This seems to be the point your missing, they aren't changing an existing system. They're trying something out in a new system, i.e. a number of ecologically friendly new towns, which no doubt will attract residents who are willing to "put up" with the incoveniences of public transport as they believe in the goals of the place being built in the first place.

I'd love to pedal me bike on a Motorway, but the dictatorial rules set out when they where built say I can't, even though my taxes go towards building them. It's just in this case the shoe is on the other foot.

If you want to see how pleasant one of these types of places to live can be I suggest you go and research Freiburg.

[Sofa Spud]

If they don't want cars... why build roads? Why not build cycleways and footpaths that lead to a light rail system?

Sustrans are doing the cycleway bit - they got £50 million of lottery cash recently. But I agree, public sector could give more money to cycle/pedestrian routes. Is this government building roads? I thought they pulled the major roads programme. Light rail is expensive and disruptive to build, especially if goes through the streets.

[homeless]

all these new towns will just ecome more commuter towns.

by building new towns you are just creating polution, as every morning and evening a mass stream of vehicles will leave to work in the nearest big city, these towns act very much like suburbs to they nearest city.Hence claiming this scheme will reduce polution is a farce, it will infact create it.

Improving cities, building smart tower blocks, utilising land properly will solve all the problems, then instead of people driving miles a day they will use public transport for quickness.

If the new build flats built in all these cities were actually lived in there would be no need for these new towns anyway.

[shippers]

Really!

How very noble of you

How the hell are people going to get to work?

I take it there's mass unemployment in Amsterdam?

How about they set up businesses in the local area, and walk to work. It's surprising how many people actually manage to get around without their own engine.

Bit like houses, personal car ownership is actually quite a recent phenonema. Funny on how this site we seem to be blinkered to our own weirdness compared to the rest of the continent for one type of asset, but then can't understand how anyone can possibly live a different way when it comes to the second most expensive asset we might buy.

As for why they're building road. Well I guess low speed electric vehicles going 15 mph or so for local journeys will need the space, as will local bus services, and delivery/service vehicles.

And going less than 30 isn't all about being green, there are also big road safety issues about going over 30 in built up areas.

I'd hope they take away all road markings as well, and have no traffic lights.

[winkie]

If it's positive choice they provide, ie reliable, fast, affordable public transport then enough people will use it for it to make a significant difference. But that's not how new labour work, they're only interested in telling us what we can't do, lecturing us about how we should behave and generally been authoritarian lunatics. It's all stick and no viable alternatives.

I for one would use public transport far more often if it was available, reliable, fast and affordable...but to be honest it is none of these and I can't see it becoming so in the foreseeable future.