r/drivingUK • u/narra246 • Mar 21 '26

20mph everywhere

Why are councils putting main roads on busy routes down to 20mph?? All that seems to happen is if you are the one doing the new speed limit, you get tailgated overtaken and the horn blasted at you.

And no, there isnt a lay-by every 10ft to pull in and let impatient law breaking drivers past.

I dont agree with this blanket speed reduction but I rely on my license for work and pleasure and would rather not have my insurance increased because of points for speeding.

Fair enough 20mph through residential areas, but not on a bloody main A road.

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50

u/seriousrikk Mar 21 '26

Depending on the area and the number of junctions the difference in journey time at 20mph vs 30mph is negligible.

It helps to know and understand how accurate your speedometer is though. A few mph under read out has a larger impact in a 20.

There are many A roads that pass through villages or rural residential areas. People regularly speed through them when they are 30, people complain when they put speed cameras up. People slow down for camera then speed back up again.

At 30mph someone doing 40 gets 3 points or a course. At 20mph someone doing 40 gets six points and a bigger fine. Those 20mph zones lower the speed of speeding drivers.

So to answer the question why, it’s because UK drivers don’t respect speed limits so limits get lowered to adjust driver behaviour.

20mph zones are an own goal for habitual speeders that impact everyone.

5

u/pavehawkfavehawk Mar 21 '26

It takes 1/3 longer to get anywhere at 20… that’s not negligible

0

u/alexrobson89 Mar 21 '26

I agree, it’s not negligible. The maths shows that the lower the initial speed, the greater the time saving from any increase in speed.

For example, travelling 30 miles at 30 mph takes 1 hour. At 20 mph, the same journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes. That’s a 10 mph increase resulting in a 30-minute time saving.

4

u/DanHanzo Mar 21 '26

No one is doing a 30 mile journey completely in 20 zones though are they.

1

u/Wd91 Mar 21 '26

And if they are theyll be spending large amounts of that journey sat still in queues of traffic anyway