20mph – for simpletons

20mph campaigners’ hearts are in the right place, but the spirit is trumped by the letter. The Institute of Advanced Motorists states: “Good design and widespread consultation are the keys to the successful use of 20mph zones as a road safety tool, because limits that match the road environment enforce themselves.” This contorted logic reflects the tortuous traffic control system. Unpicked, the statement expresses the case against 20mph limits, or indeed any tools of regulation. It could be rewritten along these lines: Good design, re-education/culture change, and freedom from vexatious regulation make speed limits redundant, because speeds that match the context are self-regulating and as such, (infinitely) more appropriate.