| Topic: | Re:Lower Richmond Road | |
| Posted by: | Richard Hodges | |
| Date/Time: | 18/12/09 13:49:00 |
| I have to agree with Simon and Bunny on two key points. As both driver and pedestrian (much more the latter), it's very rare to see any vehicle exceeding the 30mph speed limit. That includes very early hours on a Sunday morning (when I most often drive there). It is also important to recognise the pedestrian's responsibility. Nationally, seven out of ten pedestrian accidents are primarily caused by the pedestrian - stepping out without looking, stepping out from behind parked cars, messing in the road. Funnily enough, the things Dave Prowse was telling us not to do 35 years ago. That rises to more than 4 in 5 for children. (both are figures from recent RRCGB reports by the DfT). I have little doubt the figures would be even more biased for London where, unlike rural roads, almost every road has a pavement. For a more pratical experiment, take a window seat in one of the coffee shops on the High Street, and count how many fail to observe the Green Cross Code and endanger themselves. While you're at it, count the breaches by other road users. RCGB also supports this, with the astonishing frequency of pedestrian accidents within 50 yards of a designated crossing, but not on the crossing itself. LRR itself has numerous designated crossing points, as it should - it is a significant, if not major, road on the London network. There's little justification for not using them, and if you do, you have to act responsibly. All the side roads are quiet, and can't be taken at speed by vehicles. Pedestrians have to accept more responsibility for their actions - it's basic physics that in any interaction between one body <100kg and another of 1-40 tonnes, one is going to come off worse, no matter what the speed. I do support the 20mh ideas on the various residential 'blocks' of side streets around Putney, despite them being unenforced and unenforceable. But the LRR is a significant road, carrying singificant amounts of traffic. That includes both busses and emergency vehicles. Reducing the limit would not smooth the flow on the road, it will cause increased congestion. That has impacts for Bus timing, emergency vehicles, and especially triggering more pedestrians to skip the designated crossings as they see stationary traffic in one lane (and promptly step into the path of a car coming the other way, or an obscured motorbike or pushbike, or find themselves standing in the middle of the road as the stationary traffic starts moving). This is not a scenario analysed by either of the recent reports into 20mph zones, and I'm pretty sure the effect will be more incidents. |