40kmph zones on their way.

This is a token guesture at towards improving road safety at best. My problems with 40km/h limits are:

*The proposal for only putting them in a few town centres leads to inconsistencies. People relying on signs telling them what to do more often. If they’re going to make it 40 in some commercial areas, it should be 40 in all commercial areas.
*Lower the speed limits all you want… unless the road is redesigned and reengineered to suit a slower speed, drivers will not slow down. Lower a speed limit, drivers will resent it. Properly reengineer a road to accomodate all road users, drivers will barely notice they’ve slowed down. Note, this means a full reengineering… speed bumps, chicaines and pinch points just breed resentment.
*30km/h is the international standard for high pedestrian activity and many residential areas. Why are we adopting something different from the rest of the world yet again?
*If they’re really concerned about pedestrian safety, why does Townshend street in Philip have a 60km/h limit still, when there’s an intersection every 20 odd metres, pedestrian crossings and shops everywhere??

Good old ACT Gov… always one step to the side whilst wearing odd socks.

Pitchka said :

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/1/25/128773478691263236.jpg

http://tiny.cc/i9lql

Why do we need to hire consultants to decide what I could tell the Gvmt in 10 seconds and free of charge? This is a typical Stanhope grandstanding – a measure that looks good in print that will have little real impact on people’s lives but which will cost us money which could be better used elsewhere. You know a policy lacks common sense when the Greens jump on board. God give us a decent opposition PLEASE….

Jim Jones said :

Pitchka said :

Jim Jones said :

Pitchka said :

Yep, you must be stupid… Perhaps re-read all the posts, alot of those fuming at inconsiderate pedestrians, which would be one reason the ACT Gov has decided on these measures, if then, you are still unable to comprehend, then im unable to help you any further, and ill have to fine you for it…

Ah, hate to be a killjoy, but the only person fuming about ‘inconsiderate pedestrians’ is you.

Hasn’t been mentioned by anyone else. Doesn’t even arise in any of the ACT Gov documents or media reports.

PS – the voices in your head don’t count as ‘a lot of other people’ to the rest of us.

Refer to posts above, pwned…

I stand corrected. Apparently any accidents that occur on the roads *are* all the pedestrians fault and cars should be allowed to go as fast as they want.

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/1/25/128773478691263236.jpg

Thoroughly Smashed said :

Pitchka said :

Thoroughly Smashed said :

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

Give it time, im sure there are several Riot members who would be all for it!!!

Then cyclists will start complaining about revenue raising when they get booked for speeding. Imagine the epic RA threads.

One of my cousins was once pulled over on his bike for speeding! It was downhill in a 50km/h zone and he was pedaling like crazy. Funny thing was that he was about 15 at the time, so the cops just growled at him and let him go. This wasn’t in ACT, btw.

yay woody, lets wrap everyone in cotton wool just in case

Slippery slope? That’s the best you can do? Seriously? What are you, a grown man or a primary school debating team wannabe?

“This is a busy area with lots of pedestrians. Maybe we should review the speed limi…”
“OH FINE GO AND BAN CARS WHY DON’T YOU FTW”

Just listen to yourself. It’s sad.

Pitchka said :

Thoroughly Smashed said :

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

Give it time, im sure there are several Riot members who would be all for it!!!

Then cyclists will start complaining about revenue raising when they get booked for speeding. Imagine the epic RA threads.

Pitchka said :

Jim Jones said :

Pitchka said :

Yep, you must be stupid… Perhaps re-read all the posts, alot of those fuming at inconsiderate pedestrians, which would be one reason the ACT Gov has decided on these measures, if then, you are still unable to comprehend, then im unable to help you any further, and ill have to fine you for it…

Ah, hate to be a killjoy, but the only person fuming about ‘inconsiderate pedestrians’ is you.

Hasn’t been mentioned by anyone else. Doesn’t even arise in any of the ACT Gov documents or media reports.

PS – the voices in your head don’t count as ‘a lot of other people’ to the rest of us.

Refer to posts above, pwned…

I stand corrected. Apparently any accidents that occur on the roads *are* all the pedestrians fault and cars should be allowed to go as fast as they want.

Jim Jones said :

Pitchka said :

Yep, you must be stupid… Perhaps re-read all the posts, alot of those fuming at inconsiderate pedestrians, which would be one reason the ACT Gov has decided on these measures, if then, you are still unable to comprehend, then im unable to help you any further, and ill have to fine you for it…

Ah, hate to be a killjoy, but the only person fuming about ‘inconsiderate pedestrians’ is you.

Hasn’t been mentioned by anyone else. Doesn’t even arise in any of the ACT Gov documents or media reports.

PS – the voices in your head don’t count as ‘a lot of other people’ to the rest of us.

Refer to posts above, pwned…

yay woody, lets wrap everyone in cotton wool just in case. While were at it, lets ban cars all together because there might be an accident in one. lets also ban bicycles while were at it too and then we will really achieve vision zero

Erg0 said :

Do Woody and I count as other people?

Or me?

Do Woody and I count as other people?

Pitchka said :

Yep, you must be stupid… Perhaps re-read all the posts, alot of those fuming at inconsiderate pedestrians, which would be one reason the ACT Gov has decided on these measures, if then, you are still unable to comprehend, then im unable to help you any further, and ill have to fine you for it…

Ah, hate to be a killjoy, but the only person fuming about ‘inconsiderate pedestrians’ is you.

Hasn’t been mentioned by anyone else. Doesn’t even arise in any of the ACT Gov documents or media reports.

PS – the voices in your head don’t count as ‘a lot of other people’ to the rest of us.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

That’s about fast it goes in peak hour anyway…

Thoroughly Smashed said :

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

It’s sadly predictable, as soon as I heard it on the news this morning I was ready for the moral outrage.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

Give it time, im sure there are several Riot members who would be all for it!!!

You’d think the proposal was to make the Tuggeranong Parkway 40km/hr based on the reaction here.

Jim Jones said :

Pitchka said :

Jim Jones said :

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

It wouldn’t raise revenue if there weren’t such a huge pool of people eager to contribute through their own stupidity.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again: “Speeding fines = stupidity tax”.

And when will your idea of stupidity end? When the speed limits are lowered to 5km/h?

Have a look at the amount of morons (pedestrians) who cross the roads when they are not supposed to on our main roads i.e NBA, London Cir etc..

Perhaps the boys in blue should be out issuing OTS fines for J-walking, i bet you’d cop one on no time!!!

Your comment reeks of stupidity…

I must be stupid, because I honestly can’t see how you got from the ‘speeding laws are just revenue raising’ meme to jay-walking.

Is this just random foam-at-the-mouth rage spittling out at anyone who doesn’t drive a car as fast as they possibly can, or is there some sort of logic in there?

Yep, you must be stupid… Perhaps re-read all the posts, alot of those fuming at inconsiderate pedestrians, which would be one reason the ACT Gov has decided on these measures, if then, you are still unable to comprehend, then im unable to help you any further, and ill have to fine you for it…

It sounds like a good idea to me. I don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to swerve angrily around someone doing 40km, and cause an accident. Anyone who thinks they will react in that way probably needs a valium.

Thinking about it, it should be interesting to see what happens if and when this is implemented. Will pedestrians try to cross in front of slower moving traffic perhaps, instead of using crossings? It doesn’t happen in schools zones, but that with kids rather than adults. Will more traffic avoid the area? Will there be more rear-end bumps with people not paying attention?

I’m all for giving it a try, provided we can look objectively at the outcome and make further changes if necessary.

The dopiness of the Canberra traffic ‘engineers’ and or clueless politicians continues to know no bounds doesn’t it? Talk about failure to think outside the cloistered little squares they inhabit.

The ideal model for town centres is already in place at the ANU Exchange and a de facto model is in place in Bunda Street. It’s called road-sharing, where vehicles give up their automatic right of way and everyone wins as a result. Pedestrians and cyclists actually become less assertive, motorists have to learn to be a little less dogmatic and self-righteous, and all road users find that their average speeds in busy times would actually go up.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

cant recall many road deaths around shopping centres from the old 60kph speed limits let alone the current 50kph ones

Yes, let’s wait for some people to people injured or killed and then lower the speed limits. In the meantime, we can rely on our ‘recall’ as evidence for sound public policy, as well as drawing on examples that happened nowhere near the areas under discussion. I mean, I can’t ‘recall’ the last time a kid was killed outside a school, either, even when they were 60 zones, so let’s get rid of those 40 zones while we’re at it.

I’m not quite sure how 40kph limits are going to make such an impact.

That’s surprising, given how you’re a qualified traffic engineer and all.

As somebody who either drives or buses down the main drag of Woden every single day, and sees the idiots from the Woden office blocks, the college and the bus exchange running across the street wherever and whenever they like, 40 makes a lot of sense – if only to reduce the number of rear end prangs from people braking suddenly to avoid clueless pedestrians. With the four or five sets of lights between the Hellenic Club and Sky Plaza you’d be hard pressed to do 60 all the way along there anyway. But as the sign says 60, everybody tries their hardest to get from 0 to 60 between the lights anyway. It’s a clusterf*ck waiting to happen.

Well it’s been more than 10 years now, if this clusterfuck is waiting to happen, it’s very patient

That was to Woody, forgot to quote.

I’ve observed the same thing, but I’m opposed to the precedent of lowering speed limits to accommodate jaywalkers – especially when there are so many places where that road can be safely crossed.

Pitchka said :

Jim Jones said :

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

It wouldn’t raise revenue if there weren’t such a huge pool of people eager to contribute through their own stupidity.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again: “Speeding fines = stupidity tax”.

And when will your idea of stupidity end? When the speed limits are lowered to 5km/h?

Have a look at the amount of morons (pedestrians) who cross the roads when they are not supposed to on our main roads i.e NBA, London Cir etc..

Perhaps the boys in blue should be out issuing OTS fines for J-walking, i bet you’d cop one on no time!!!

Your comment reeks of stupidity…

I must be stupid, because I honestly can’t see how you got from the ‘speeding laws are just revenue raising’ meme to jay-walking.

Is this just random foam-at-the-mouth rage spittling out at anyone who doesn’t drive a car as fast as they possibly can, or is there some sort of logic in there?

cant recall many road deaths around shopping centres from the old 60kph speed limits let alone the current 50kph ones

Yes, let’s wait for some people to people injured or killed and then lower the speed limits. In the meantime, we can rely on our ‘recall’ as evidence for sound public policy, as well as drawing on examples that happened nowhere near the areas under discussion. I mean, I can’t ‘recall’ the last time a kid was killed outside a school, either, even when they were 60 zones, so let’s get rid of those 40 zones while we’re at it.

I’m not quite sure how 40kph limits are going to make such an impact.

That’s surprising, given how you’re a qualified traffic engineer and all.

As somebody who either drives or buses down the main drag of Woden every single day, and sees the idiots from the Woden office blocks, the college and the bus exchange running across the street wherever and whenever they like, 40 makes a lot of sense – if only to reduce the number of rear end prangs from people braking suddenly to avoid clueless pedestrians. With the four or five sets of lights between the Hellenic Club and Sky Plaza you’d be hard pressed to do 60 all the way along there anyway. But as the sign says 60, everybody tries their hardest to get from 0 to 60 between the lights anyway. It’s a clusterf*ck waiting to happen.

But it will still be legal to f*&k your dog!

The only fatality i can recall at Woden was that old lady that was killed at the police station intersection a few years back. That was from the car driven by that woman that went through the red lights while speeding away from the cops. I hope they don’t count her in the statistics justifying this idiot idea.

I do find it humorous they claim there will be community consultation. They have already decided…like everything else this government does.

A lot depends on how far they extend the 40km/h zones out from the centres. In Woden, if you’re doing more than 40 in the backstreets bounded by Melrose Dr, Hindmarsh Dr, Callam St and Launceston St then you’re probably going too fast.

I wouldn’t really want to see Callam St reduced to 40, given that it’s already got four sets of traffic lights over a distance of only 500m or so. If they really want to make it a bit safer, they might consider cutting the trees back so that the lights can actually be seen from a reasonable distance.

Bosworth said :

James-T-Kirk said :

It is only fair that they divulge the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the last 5 years in the zones where they are performing this trial.

My bet is that the number is about…. Zero?

and how many injuries?

ok – yep Injuries are fair – Lets get that number, and then compare it with the new number is 2 years….. Again – I suspect that the number diference will be…. Z E R O!

cant recall many road deaths around shopping centres from the old 60kph speed limits let alone the current 50kph ones (with the exception of Clea Rose – which had very little to do with anyone paying attention to teh posted speed limits). happy to have proof otherwise.

I’m not quite sure how 40kph limits are going to make such an impact.

Jim Jones said :

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

It wouldn’t raise revenue if there weren’t such a huge pool of people eager to contribute through their own stupidity.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again: “Speeding fines = stupidity tax”.

+1

Jim Jones said :

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

It wouldn’t raise revenue if there weren’t such a huge pool of people eager to contribute through their own stupidity.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again: “Speeding fines = stupidity tax”.

And when will your idea of stupidity end? When the speed limits are lowered to 5km/h?

Have a look at the amount of morons (pedestrians) who cross the roads when they are not supposed to on our main roads i.e NBA, London Cir etc..

Perhaps the boys in blue should be out issuing OTS fines for J-walking, i bet you’d cop one on no time!!!

Your comment reeks of stupidity…

Would be better if his Mayoral Magnificence could improve the education of those pathetic pedestrians who do not look, who walk out onto the road between parked cars, are too friggin lazy to walk 5 meters to the pedestrian crossing, who push their shopping trolleys onto the road before looking. But hey, I don’t mind driving at 40Kph through these death trap areas….

And I am positive that our lycra clad breathren will also abide by the 40kph speed limit right??? Or will they still ride along the footpath swerving around (and abusing) those pesky pedestrians.

My Mayor… Life was so much better when you were on holidays…. hint hint hint

No need to implement 40km zones…. they just need to stick pedestrian crossings every 50m like in Civic. A car couldn’t do 40km if it tried, though a few pedestrians are likely to be run over through some lunch hour road rage because it takes a car 15min to travel 300 min.

Ummm – hasn’t Gungahlin’s main street been 40kph for some time already?

Bosworth said :

James-T-Kirk said :

It is only fair that they divulge the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the last 5 years in the zones where they are performing this trial.

My bet is that the number is about…. Zero?

and how many injuries?

Oh come on. Nobody should have to slow down until there is a big pile of dead bodies.

James-T-Kirk said :

It is only fair that they divulge the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the last 5 years in the zones where they are performing this trial.

My bet is that the number is about…. Zero?

So all road safety policy has to be reactive?

James-T-Kirk said :

It is only fair that they divulge the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the last 5 years in the zones where they are performing this trial.

My bet is that the number is about…. Zero?

and how many injuries?

#7 – you are forgetting the wonderful challenge it is to successfully drive around the “Traffic Calming Measures” and corners, while MAINTAINING 40Km/h.

he he

If anything, the increased agitation will make things less safe, people swerving around people doing 40km/h, etc.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

How did you get from traffic calming to revenue raising in your head?

Comment #3 would be a good clue.

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

It wouldn’t raise revenue if there weren’t such a huge pool of people eager to contribute through their own stupidity.

It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again: “Speeding fines = stupidity tax”.

Chaz said :

more revenue raising. they never give up

How did you get from traffic calming to revenue raising in your head?

It is only fair that they divulge the number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the last 5 years in the zones where they are performing this trial.

My bet is that the number is about…. Zero?

more revenue raising. they never give up

Speaking of vision zero… note how the by 2010 has been painted over on the “no waste by 2010” things on garbage trucks..