Government must reduce speed limit in urban areas to 30km/h - Urban expert

[Swa]

Speed does not kill, its coming to sudden stand still thats get you!

Well, the pedestrians is already standing still.

An interesting discussion. A lot of injuries are secondary as cars are designed to absorb the impact. The problem is that at high speed this also accelerates the individual into other immovable objects.

When I was around 16 I had a cop turn his car around and **** me out from all sides for around 10 minutes for crossing the road without walking to the corner stop sign, Different times I guess (early 90's) but that always put me under the impression it's illegal.

Thanks for the clarification

There are no specific laws dictating where and how you should cross but you can be fined for being a hazard or loitering. For some reason however people don't seem to think this is the case and that the road is for them and will hold gatherings and walk without even looking. This is equally the case for mall parking lots where I regularly have to slow down or stop for other people to get out of the way. We need a serious change of attitude.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Most of the actual research is 30mi/h which is 45km/h. Stats show that your chances of surviving at 45km/h is markedly better though this is also where the usual speed is 50mi/h or 75km/h where your chances of survival is practically zero. We actually have some of the lowest speed limits. There is nothing to actually support 30 figure and there's also the opposite where traffic moving too slowly causes frustration and more accidents.


The right hand lane is for overtaking. I don't care how fast you're going if you're not overtaking you shouldn't be there. This also counts for those other idiots who hoot at you when you're overtaking at the speed limit that's supposed to apply to them as well.

We have some of the lowest speed limits? Just having a look and our speed limits are generally at the top end of the averages around the world.

 

[Milano]

Of all the things that are not going to happen in this country, an urban speed limit of 30km/h has to be most unlikely of them all. Just not going to happen.

 

[TheChamp]

They are preparing us for the Bajaj Qutes that are going to be unleashed on the streets.

 

[Binary_Bark]

They are preparing us for the Bajaj Qutes that are going to be unleashed on the streets.

Just push it over with your finger

 

[ShaunSA]

They are preparing us for the Bajaj Qutes that are going to be unleashed on the streets.

For that we need to klap gym boet. Get ready to push those things out the way once they get stuck going up a hill

 

[C4Cat]

What these people miss EVERY TIME is that laws apply to law-abiding citizens. Criminals, by the very definition of the word, do not abide by laws, thus this has no impact.

Speeding drivers will still speed. Pedestrians who walk in the road will still walk in the road, and still be killed by cars driving in their natural habitat.

So imagine you're a law abiding citizen - you're driving through your suburb at 60Km/h and a teenager with headphones on looking at his phone steps into the road, doesn't see you and you don't have time to stop. You slam on breaks but drive into him, doing damage to the teen, your car and possibly you.

Now imagine you're a law abiding citizen - you're driving through your suburb at 30Km/h and a teenager with headphones on looking at her phone steps into the road, doesn't see you and you don't have time to stop. You slam on breaks, drive into her, doing damage to the teen, your car and possibly you.

In which scenario are you, your car and the teen likely to get away without injury, or with less injury (also keeping in mind how much the car slows down and how long it takes to come to a stop from 60km/h vs 30km/h)

Is it your fault? No (maybe shared responsibility - you could have been more aware of your surroundings but let's say no in this case, it wasn't your fault) - the teen should have been aware of their surroundings and not just stepped into the road. How would you feel if you killed them though, even if it wasn't your fault? So I don't see blame and whose fault it is as so important as the fact that if you do hit a pedestrian you would much rather be going slower when you do.

 

[UrBaN963]

So imagine you're a law abiding citizen - you're driving through your suburb at 60Km/h and a teenager with headphones on looking at his phone steps into the road, doesn't see you and you don't have time to stop. You slam on breaks but drive into him, doing damage to the teen, your car and possibly you.

Now imagine you're a law abiding citizen - you're driving through your suburb at 30Km/h and a teenager with headphones on looking at her phone steps into the road, doesn't see you and you don't have time to stop. You slam on breaks, drive into her, doing damage to the teen, your car and possibly you.

In which scenario are you, your car and the teen likely to get away without injury, or with less injury (also keeping in mind how much the car slows down and how long it takes to come to a stop from 60km/h vs 30km/h)

Is it your fault? No (maybe shared responsibility - you could have been more aware of your surroundings but let's say no in this case, it wasn't your fault) - the teen should have been aware of their surroundings and not just stepped into the road. How would you feel if you killed them though, even if it wasn't your fault? So I don't see blame and whose fault it is as so important as the fact that if you do hit a pedestrian you would much rather be going slower when you do.

Obviously an impact at lower speed will do less damage.

However, I would much rather not have the rules of passenger vehicles on the road dictated by the idiocy of people not in a car.

 

[C4Cat]

Obviously an impact at lower speed will do less damage.

However, I would much rather not have the rules of passenger vehicles on the road dictated by the idiocy of people not in a car.

I personally don't have a problem with rules having people drive slower in areas with lots of pedestrians. What's the problem really? So you have to make way for pedestrians in the street, how terrible.

 

[UrBaN963]

I personally don't have a problem with rules having people drive slower in areas with lots of pedestrians. What's the problem really? So you have to make way for pedestrians in the street, how terrible.

it didn't say anything about areas with lots of pedestrians. It said urban areas. Drive around JHB, there are areas that are foot-heavy and areas that are desolate but they'd all be considered urban areas.

 

[The Trutherizer]

You know, the taxis drive like they own the roads, all for 2 seconds, not stopping at the traffic light, "kruiping" at the traffic light, drives on your nerves just to turn off at the next intersection. 30km/h rules will help in some areas, but will not apply in other areas.

When you're in the right lane, and the driver in the left lane is kind enough to let you turn in front of them into the garage to get petrol, and as you do 3 taxis speeding (nay... racing) in the emergency lane nearly take your car's nose off. That's when you know it's not really worth it anymore to drive around during rush hour. They get up to no good. I bet you they cause drivers to have fear and agitation induced heart attacks all the time.

The worst is of course. I reckon if the poor taxi behaviour adds less than 40% to traffic congestion in SA then that would be low-balling it. They lose way more than 2s due to their shenanigans. But yeah. Good luck them trying an improvement. IF 95% of them all drive perfectly according to the rules of the road, allowing traffic to flow much more smoothly, then the remaining 5% will just abuse it and double down. Which will make the others think they should do the same to compete again. Back to square A. Everybody screwed again.

If the authorities don't do something, then they will simply not improve out of their own initiative.

 

[Swa]

We have some of the lowest speed limits? Just having a look and our speed limits are generally at the top end of the averages around the world.

Honestly 60km/h isn't that much, and neither is the 120 which are generally only on highways. Most of our national roads are limited to 100 or 80km/h.

 

[MrGray]

Judging by the way the world is behaving this is a predictable outcome. Ultimate destination: ban cars. Because if 30km/h is safer then 25km/h is even safer, so is 15km/h, why not 5km/h - better yet no cars. Totalitarianism in the name if safety - it's the new fascism.

 

[Geoff.D]

Government must reduce speed limit in urban areas to 30km/h - Urban expert

The government should drop the speed limit in South Africa’s urban areas to help reduce the large number of pedestrian fatalities.

This is according to Open Streets urban designer Kirsten Wilkins, who recently spoke about pedestrian safety in the country on CapeTalk. The discussion followed the release of government’s Easter traffic statistics.

There were 235 fatalities on South Africa’s roads during the 2021 Easter period, of which around 35% were pedestrians.

Urban expert se moer. Sounds more like an urban lunatic to me.

 

[Swa]

I personally don't have a problem with rules having people drive slower in areas with lots of pedestrians. What's the problem really? So you have to make way for pedestrians in the street, how terrible.

It's not just areas with lots of pedestrians but all urban areas. First off roads are not meant to have lots of pedestrians. Someone will get hurt regardless. I can understand areas like city centres with lots of foot traffic having lower limits which is what a lot of other countries have adopted but they're still way above 30km/h.

And really when it gets down to it few accidents happen in urban areas or suburbs. Most are on national roads or highways where the speed limit is higher in any case. So are we going to drop it to 30km/h everywhere and bring the country to a standstill because of stupid people with no responsibility?

 

[ToxicBunny]

Honestly 60km/h isn't that much, and neither is the 120 which are generally only on highways. Most of our national roads are limited to 100 or 80km/h.

They're more than enough and are on the higher end of the worlds speed limits, not the lower end like you originally claimed.

 

[rustypup]

are on the higher end of the worlds speed limits, not the lower end

Limits set long before technology like ABS.

I mean, while we're whining about arbitrary limits....

The fact doesn't change: Pedestrians are squishy. Vehicles are not. Mixing them up will ALWAYS produce squished pedestrians, no matter the speed.

 

[Swa]

They're more than enough and are on the higher end of the worlds speed limits, not the lower end like you originally claimed.

I checked and interestingly wikipedia puts our limit at 40km/h while most countries are 50km/h or above. I take it these are minimums and while most countries have a lower limit it's only for urban centres and they in fact have higher ones in other urban areas. Most European countries especially also have national limits higher than our 80km/h. Averages say absolutely nothing without taking into account where they occur. We are still very conservative when it comes to speed limits.

 

[Swa]

Limits set long before technology like ABS.

I mean, while we're whining about arbitrary limits....

The fact doesn't change: Pedestrians are squishy. Vehicles are not. Mixing them up will ALWAYS produce squished pedestrians, no matter the speed.

Argh, it makes no difference. ABS or not most countries overall have higher limits than ours.

 

[Moto Guzzi]

Many times I have driven at 30Km/h or lower depending on the conditions without a problem. There is a deep phychological thing here in todays world happenning....The digital etopia(The new god) has speed up everything every angle you can think of, for what may I ask, any case that "speed" sticks and get embedded in your mind over time, just look at how boardrooms runs in circles for the sake of speed(Caught up miserable in the abstract trend). Your car is just another tool(Those liking cars are dying out).

Now from that hype, you get down in your vehicle and 0-60K/h and 10Km/h feels like you pushing a brick......So what is really happening with MAN(Most)....BY.....MAN(Few). Its time those on the floor start writing laws, the world will be a better place soon, it cant go worse.

I think how decissions are made today regarding problematic situations regarding societies itself, is completely out of wack and dangerously insufficient and over complicated, we can process only so much on the move with our stupid brains, leaving us out of touch with the practicalities of driving a vehicle. Theres a time to get of your backside on a chair and get on your feet and think practical simplicity-(If you can).