{"id":258475,"date":"2023-05-21T16:55:38","date_gmt":"2023-05-21T14:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258475"},"modified":"2023-05-21T16:55:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-21T14:55:41","slug":"prelates-pedestrians-and-pigeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258475","title":{"rendered":"Prelates, Pedestrians and\u00a0Pigeons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Climate Scepticism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0JIT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week ago,  the Archbishop of  Canterbury was convicted of speeding in a 20 mph limit and fined a total of \u00a3510 (as reported e.g. here<\/a>). Apparently administrative errors prevented him from paying the fine in a timely manner and thereby avoiding a (virtual) trip to the Magistrate\u2019s Court.
The minimum penalty for speeding \u2013 unless you are lucky enough to dodge it by being sent on a useless speed awareness course \u2013 is \u00a3100 and 3 points on your license. Presumably Welby would have received this but for the \u201cadministrative errors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much so topical. But lurking at the back of my mind when I read about that was another <\/em>news story, this one from a month ago, as for example here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use of 20mph speed zones in built up areas \u2018usually advisory\u2019 and many CANNOT be enforced, police chief admits<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

[I don\u2019t know why I picked the Daily Mail\u2019s version of the story to share with you. Their site is near unusable unless you block scripts\/ads.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A police chief has admitted 20mph speed zones in built up areas are \u2018usually advisory\u2019 and many cannot be enforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giles Orpen-Smellie, Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, made the admission despite a third of local authorities having rolled out the measures in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at a public meeting, he said: \u2018It\u2019s extremely difficult for police to prosecute\u2026 if it goes in front of magistrates they will throw it out.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Well, Welby\u2019s case was certainly not thrown out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally I am ambivalent about 20 mph zones*. I like them when I\u2019m a pedestrian; on the other hand, if I\u2019m in a car trying to get somewhere\u2026 not so much. Nonetheless, I dutifully stick to the limit \u2013 and my anecdotal observations tell me that I\u2019m in the minority. Only yesterday a brand new MG EV zoomed up behind me in a 20 limit (you can\u2019t say \u201croared up\u201d any more), wanting me to speed up. I declined with a sneer. When it finally overtook, I was surprised to note that it was a taxi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a 20 mph road near me where there have been a succession of wildlife casualties over the years. Mostly these have been woodpigeons; not the rarest of birds, but apparently now amber listed. Then there are the hedgehogs \u2013 whose response to an oncoming car is not exactly adaptive. The woodies do like to flirt with the passing cars \u2013 but at 20 mph, they can afford to. At the speed some drivers go, not so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to our soi-disant<\/em> government, 20 mph zones are popular. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026supported by the majority of residents and drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the majority of drivers \u2013 at any rate, the majority of vehicles \u2013 do not adhere to the 20 mph limit. In fact the\u00a0data\u00a0<\/a>shows that more than half of all cars travelling [in free flowing conditions] through 20 mph zones went as fast as, or faster than, the Archbishop. Note that only the first two columns are compliant; 87% of cars exceeded the 20 mph limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In general, the lower the speed limit\u2026 the fewer cars adhere to it. (I don\u2019t know about you, but one of my least favourite types of driver is the Zen 40 driver. This type proceeds at what seems a stately 40 where there are no limits\u2026 and then at a seemingly reckless 40 when they pass through a 30 zone.) Other data shows that introducing a 20 mph limit has essentially no effect on road speeds, but here it appears that this is \u201creal-world\u201d data, i.e. all traffic, not skimming off only the vehicles that were were not slowed somewhat by conditions. The figure comes from a 2018 report by Atkins and others for the DfT, available\u00a0here\u00a0<\/a>(also apparently the source for the claim that 20 mph limits are popular). The median speed in a residential area dropped by less than 1 mph when a 20 limit replaced a 30 \u2013 but as you can see, the speeds in the sample are in general a lot lower than the \u201cfree-flow\u201d speeds in the frequency distribution figure. (In free-flow conditions, the data [same table as the above figure] shows that average speeds are 5 mph slower in a 20 limit than they are in a 30 limit; 31 vs 26 mph.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What about the justifications of 20 mph lengths of road, excepting pigeons? Well, there is data that shows that accidents involving pedestrians at 20 are less likely to cause fatalities than accidents at 30, although your probability of dying if you are hit at 30 is still \u201conly\u201d 7%. The figure is from a 2010\u00a0report\u00a0<\/a>by D.C. Richards, again for the DfT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

EVs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One thing that is not often remarked upon is that, since EVs are heavier than ICE cars, they are likely to be more dangerous for pedestrians when shifting at the same velocity. The braking distance \u2013 despite rumours on the internet \u2013 does get longer the heavier the vehicle. (The internet rumours rely on elementary mechanics to prove that mass is not relevant to stopping distance; it appears on both sides of the equation when you equate the energy expended in stopping a moving object with its kinetic energy and therefore disappears. And this is true for sliding block puzzles \u2013 but not where tyres are involved. It\u2019s possible to prove a lot of wrong things with elementary maths. My physics teacher challenged the class to choose between being shot or hit by a car. Probably everyone picked the car. But the \u201ccorrect\u201d answer was the bullet \u2013 as the teacher soon demonstrated with mathematics. Nevertheless, I would still have taken the car then, and would today.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The performance of EV tyres depends on the tension between maximising grip and minimising wear and rolling resistance. This is the case for all tyres of course, but rolling resistance is a particular issue in EVs, where range is a key selling point. Add to that the fact that EVs are heavier, and we are left with a possible safety issue. I am not the first to notice this, although the\u00a0headline I\u2019ve picked out\u00a0<\/a>in the snip perhaps exaggerates matters just a tad:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In general, although people are in favour of 20 mph limits, they ignore them. There seems little point in creating them \u2013 they have little to no effect on driving speeds. But if people did stick to the new limit, it seems likely that pedestrians and pigeons alike would be safer. Was the Welby fine fair? No. 53% of cars go as fast or faster than Welby went when they travel through a 20 limit; the people say they are in favour of a 20 limit when asked, but their actions demonstrate the opposite. Should a minority be fined for something the majority do? That does not seem right to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I don\u2019t think there is any reason for side roads in residential areas not to be limited to 20 mph. For through roads, the debate is more nuanced; you have to balance the needs of people trying to get somewhere with the residents who want calm streets. But if you actually want people to slow down, only speed bumps or other physical paraphernalia will help. A signpost \u2013 or a beacon as in the featured image \u2013 is generally ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes and Data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

* There is a distinction in some reports between a 20 mph limit (signposts only) and a 20 mph zone (with added bumps etc). The latter seems far more effective than the former.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data for the frequency distribution comes from table SPE0111 (for 2021), at the link given above the figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A week ago,\u00a0 the Archbishop of\u00a0 Canterbury was convicted of speeding in a 20 mph limit and fined a total of \u00a3510 (as reported e.g.\u00a0here). Apparently administrative errors prevented him from paying the fine in a timely manner and thereby avoiding a (virtual) trip to the Magistrate\u2019s Court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":258487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691819670,691819669],"class_list":{"0":"post-258475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-20-mph-zones","9":"tag-archbishop-of-canterbury","11":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/071PVkmknoZL._AC_SL1500_-1.jpg?fit=1004%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-15eX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":257384,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=257384","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":0},"title":"Justin Welby Caught\u00a0Speeding","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"If he cares so much about climate change, why is not he using that cycle lane? After all Lambeth Palace is only a couple of miles away.","rel":"","context":"In \"Archbishop\"","block_context":{"text":"Archbishop","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=archbishop"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Justin-Welby.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Justin-Welby.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Justin-Welby.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Justin-Welby.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/00Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Justin-Welby.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293478,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=293478","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":1},"title":"The Boxing Day Storm of\u00a01998","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/01\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The 1980s and 90s were full of storms we have not seen the likes of since. The Great Storm of 1987, Bruar, Burns Day, not to mention others which did not even get named.","rel":"","context":"In \"1998\"","block_context":{"text":"1998","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=1998"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0ad126368190porthcawl-wales.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0ad126368190porthcawl-wales.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0ad126368190porthcawl-wales.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0ad126368190porthcawl-wales.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0ad126368190porthcawl-wales.webp?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":289080,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=289080","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":2},"title":"The war on the car","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From The Net Zero Watch Zero Emission Mandate part of \u2018war on the car\u2019Poor will subsidise the rich Net Zero Watch is warning that the new \u2018Zero Emission Mandate\u2019 is just the latest in a series of blows that the political establishment has struck at motorists, and says it will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"CO2\"","block_context":{"text":"CO2","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0NZW_WarOnTheCar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0NZW_WarOnTheCar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0NZW_WarOnTheCar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0NZW_WarOnTheCar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0NZW_WarOnTheCar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":204120,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=204120","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":3},"title":"\u201cExposing the \u2018modern green religion’\u201d Published in the Catholic Standard","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/06\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Essay by Eric Worrall Archbishop Julian Porteous of Tasmania, Australia is in hot water over promoting the words of climate \u201cdenier\u201d Ian Plimer, on the seventh anniversary of the Pope\u2019s climate encyclical \u201cLaudato Si\u201d. Archbishop accused of promoting climate change denier\u2019s views on anniversary of Pope\u2019s landmark letter By\u00a0Loretta Lohberger\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0ian-plimer.webp?fit=720%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0ian-plimer.webp?fit=720%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0ian-plimer.webp?fit=720%2C434&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0ian-plimer.webp?fit=720%2C434&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":292117,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=292117","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":4},"title":"Two More BBC\u00a0Complaints","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In both cases, the BBC have merely cut and pasted press releases, as all the media seems to have done. However, that does not excuse them from printing false information.","rel":"","context":"In \"BBC\"","block_context":{"text":"BBC","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bbc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/1_112080366_p08c03dy.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/1_112080366_p08c03dy.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/1_112080366_p08c03dy.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/1_112080366_p08c03dy.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":287389,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=287389","url_meta":{"origin":258475,"position":5},"title":"The Burns Day Storm of\u00a01990","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Burns' Day Storm (also known as Cyclone Daria) was\u00a0an extremely violent windstorm\u00a0that took place on 25\u201326 January 1990 over North-Western Europe. 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