DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
To Overtake or Not
- Thread starter Chislenko
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
I can't see anything in that relating to the thing the citation was asked for???
Which was that speed limits don't apply to cyclists because when they were introduced no cyclist had a speedometer.
It does mention that the speed limits don't apply to bicycles, but I think we all knew that, it the why that was being asked about.
Is it me or this thread going round in circles. There are plainly some who are not bothered over what a speed limit may be and others who do give regard despite not being itself applicable but if the worse were to happen there is the charge of wanton and furious driving.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
There is actually a map available now, showing roads that are going to change to 20, and which ones are going to be exceptions.
https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/roads-affected-by-changes-to-the-speed-limit-on-re/view#/
Looking at that, the one I mentioned up-thread, it looks like the 20 yards after the houses IS going to stay as 30. I really didn't think they would, although I always thought they should.
And another one I rode today on the A4119, where I was thinking as I came down this nice wide road on a gentle hill at about 28, "no way am I going to slow to 20 here, but it probably will be". It seems it is another exception.
In fact it looks like all of the current 30 limits where I regularly get close to that on the bike are being retained, except the one through St Mary Church, and the hill down to Llysworney (which isn't even a restricted road, but will change to 20 by order - currently 30 by order)
https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/roads-affected-by-changes-to-the-speed-limit-on-re/view#/
Looking at that, the one I mentioned up-thread, it looks like the 20 yards after the houses IS going to stay as 30. I really didn't think they would, although I always thought they should.
And another one I rode today on the A4119, where I was thinking as I came down this nice wide road on a gentle hill at about 28, "no way am I going to slow to 20 here, but it probably will be". It seems it is another exception.
In fact it looks like all of the current 30 limits where I regularly get close to that on the bike are being retained, except the one through St Mary Church, and the hill down to Llysworney (which isn't even a restricted road, but will change to 20 by order - currently 30 by order)
Last edited:
Mr Celine
Discordian
- Location
- Waxing my moustache
As @Alex321said this doesn't say why speed limits don't apply to bicycles.
The more obvious and most likely explanation is that speeding bicycles have never been a problem worth legislating on.
Last edited:
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Very much so.
We can all make our own choices. I wouldn't overtake a car in those circs, even if I could, which I can't. Others would. I don't break speed limits on my bike, but probably wouldn't be able to even if I wanted to. Others aren't bothered.
Meh
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Fair point.
In which case, good luck finding a statute that contains an explanatory note.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Last edited:
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
OK I've just been wasting time googling things.
Speed limits were first introduced in the UK in 1861, and amended on multiple occasions subsequently (linky). The world's first speeding ticket was in 1896 in Paddock Wood in Kent (linky) This pre-dates the law for compulsory speedometers in cars, which was introduced in 1937 (linky)
So the idea that you can't have a speed limit unless you make it mandatory for everyone to have a speedo is fanciful. This was not the case for motor vehicles for 76 years.
There may be good reasons why speed limits don't apply to bicycles, but the fact that speedometers on bikes aren't compulsory is not one of them.
Speed limits were first introduced in the UK in 1861, and amended on multiple occasions subsequently (linky). The world's first speeding ticket was in 1896 in Paddock Wood in Kent (linky) This pre-dates the law for compulsory speedometers in cars, which was introduced in 1937 (linky)
So the idea that you can't have a speed limit unless you make it mandatory for everyone to have a speedo is fanciful. This was not the case for motor vehicles for 76 years.
There may be good reasons why speed limits don't apply to bicycles, but the fact that speedometers on bikes aren't compulsory is not one of them.
Last edited:
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
All this talk of whether you would overtake a motor vehicle in the scenario presented, yet no one has offered a compelling reason why they would want to.
Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
Because they can, innit.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
It's looking like we'll never know ...
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Why speed limits only apply to motor vehicles.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
For the same reason a car driver overtakes another car that is going slower than they are.
Namely, they want to go faster than the vehicle in front is doing.
