We’d struggle to enforce 20 speed limit, say police
Saturday 26th March 2011, 2:29PM GMT.
POLICE have said they would struggle to enforce the law if there was a widespread reduction in speed limits.
The comment comes after an Environment Department-led working group, which included a police inspector, suggested Guernsey should adopt a 20mph ‘island limit’, down from the current 35mph.
‘Should there be a widespread reduction of speed limits, there would be an issue about being able to police these effectively with existing resources,’ a police spokesman said.
But the force also reassured islanders that it takes enforcement of traffic laws very seriously.
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They should take murders and rapes much more seriously than speeding, speeding is such a petty crime yet it pays for the bills.
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When they say “struggle”…do they mean “wrestle” with little old ladies who have been taken from their cars to explain why they were driving at 23 mph…Lewis Carroll would have had a wonderful time injecting this sort of madness into his Wonderland stories.
If I were a policeman I would simply overlook anything between 20-29 mph in a restricted 20 mph area…the paperwork, and possible embarrassment in a court room, would justify the Nelsonic eye.
March hares are everywhere!
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When will people realise,Residents and Visitors alike, they are on an Island, so where are they going to warrent speeding. Years ago the slow speed got you to A & B in the same time as driving at 40mph. I live on the mainland but visit every month to see family, you dont have the M5 or the A38 etc., apart from running late to catch the Ferry or Flight, why do you have to rush. Guernsey was always a laid back place, so why is speeding an issue. The roads do not warrant any kind of speed. My Family and best friends who actually live on the Island, are scared to death when they hit the mainland as far as driving is concerned, cant cope with the motorways etc., so why cant the speed on the Island be in keeping with the lanes etc., we see enough fatalities with wreckless driving on the mainland without it happening on the Island. Guernsey is not built for crazy drivers so why encourage it. Due to the amount of narrow passes the speed limit should be very low. It would help if the Coaches and Lorries adhered to the situation, not all Drivers on the Island are Geriatrics, so think about it!!!! Would love to take anyone on who decides to put me down in this situation, I have to drive every day on motorways etc., but keep to the limits when I visit the Island. I am courteous, not many people are these days, so please think before putting me as the enemy.
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This whole sorry saga has just been a complete lash up, another case of proposals not being thought out properly.
Instead of wasting time on tinkering with new speed limits, how about something being done to enforce the current ones? Saturday night (it being very still) all you could hear until the early hours were the sounds of racing car engines. I think the racetrack last night was from the North Beach to Icart car park. The powers that be must be deaf, how much longer is this situation going to be allowed to continue? It’s been a couple of months since the last serious injury/death attributed to these morons but with the lighter evenings bringing more of them out it won’t be long before we read about another one.
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If it’s not broken, why fix it…
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Caroline, I really think its a bit of a liberty sticking in your two pennorth on this subject when you drive wherever you want to at sensible speeds in the UK. Because you come here on holiday you’d prefer it if we all pootled around at 15 or 20mph? How quaint, would it be nicer still for you if we all ride around on penny farthings? Maybe have a man walking in front waving a red flag?
If they must tinker with the speed limits they should first look at the causes of the serious accidents we do have. Are they caused by sensible drivers doing 35mph maximum? I think not. I think you would find the serious accidents are all caused by idiots who will ignore speed limits whatever they are. So why punish the rest of us all of the time? They will just end up criminalising people who do not deserve it. I could even start thinking I might as well really put my foot down if 30mph breaks the law anyway.
This whole topic is getting absurd, especially when it is instigated by non-drivers and people who don’t even live here. There are some cases where 35mph is too much. My road is one of them. For years I have been asking the parish to consider reducing its limit, on the basis that a head-on speed of 70mph is way too much in a bendy, narrow lane frequented by hikers and childrem on horseback. They have ignored four requests from me so far, so what hope is there that lower speed limits across the whole island would be implemented with common sense. That’s right, none at all.
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Why do the Stated seem to be pandering yet again to a minority group, this time a small groupo of un-elected anti-car Zealots wchaired by someone who has never driven! Get real, try and drive most everywhere at 20mph and see how long your gearbox lasts and how much more fuel is used!
I think the latest proposals are very silly indeed and simply serve to show that someone behind the scenes has had to produce something in a hurry as his or her masters were being pressurised to come up with something to appease the loony brigade after a wait of 5 years! What a complete load of tosh, but then again, we are well used to the States coming up with more and more drivel!
The word behind closed doors is that our deputies feel that they are worth more than they get at present and they also want an uplift in their tax free expenses and other perks like free high-end notebook PCs which they already get.
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Graham – the States are not pandering to anyone. A report has made some possible recommendations and they appear to have been rejected, so your criticism of the deputies is misplaced.
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Saint
They are like that where I live on a SaturdaySunday morning I get woken up and it scares me as I am just waiting for the bang some one will get killed. I beleive that smaller lanes and roads should be 25
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Caroline….
Most of us who rush down roads at 35mph are just trying to get to the end before it is closed and we have a 5 mile detour and tailback.
PS.
Roads are closed so often for some repair or work so when resurfacing why don’t they just fit them with a zip?
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What a ridiculus waste of everyones time. Do they not have better issues to sort out!! Although I think certain roads should have a reduced speed limit due to the nature of the road, I cannot see any reason why the others should be reduced to 20 mph. If people can’t drive at 35 mph on our main roads without accident then use public transport!! Only yesterday I was heading along the coast stuck behind a train of cars driving sub 25 mph, they must have been out enforcing the new proposals.
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Of course they’d struggle to enforce it. Its such a ridiculously slow speed not many people would bother with it. They’d also have the added problem of people falling asleep at the wheel. 20mph ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz I’m feeling drowsy just thinking about it.
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I couldn’t agree with you more, Arnold. There is no substantiated evidence to suggest that we need to amend our speed limits, whether we did or not, the loons will STILL drive like loons (whilst the Police are doing….something else) and as they can’t even catch persistent and known offenders now, how exactly is lowering the speed limit going to help…?
…oh, but hasn’t this drama taken the wind out of the airport extension (oh yes it is, oh no it isn’t) debacle, the scandal of whether our Chief Minister abuses his title (heaven forfend), and of course, not forgetting 0-10′s replacement, and the implications thereof…?
excuse my cynicism, but I can’t help but think that all this unjustified hoohar about a non problem has been put into play to distract us all from the real issues of the day.
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Beanjar – like I said think or read before replying – I do not visit on holiday I am over regularly due to business reasons, suppose the fact I have an open market property stops me from commenting – no, look at this sensibly, like someone has said this takes the headlines away from some other worthless story – no matter where you drive you should stick to the laws of that land – in the last 10 years the driving has become worse as I said before where is everyone going in such a hurry – I cant remember the last time I followed anyone on the Island sticking to the limit so in the end it wont work or at that wont even happen, we can argue about something else next week.
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Caroline its not the speed limits that need changing its the standard of driving dropping the limits would make no difference people will still speed.
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John – probably the first sensible comment made thank you
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Yes Caroline, I did read your comments in full. No mention of your high powered business trips when you said: “I live on the mainland but visit every month to see family…why do you have to rush.” So the fact remains – your comments as an outside observer do not, in my opinion, carry as much weight as if you lived here.
We do, and have to weigh up the desire for 100% safety with the requirement to actually get around the island at a sensible speed with reasonable safety.
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Caroline:
I have no doubt you will have spent enough time in Guernsey to learn to ignore the yocals (beanjar as an example) who are quite comfortable with the notion that if you are not from Guernsey you can’t possibly have a valid opinion.
Ignore him/her – you have a much more balanced perspective having actually been off the island than those who would seek to silence you because you are not a full Donkey.
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I object to being branded a yocal merely because I think the views of Guernsey drivers should carry the most weight in this discussion. Occasional visitors who don’t need to get anywhere in a timely manner would probably prefer it if we all travelled round in buggys like the Amish do, or maybe we should all buy a tractor like Sark? They don’t have to live with the consequences. Why not go the whole hog and turn the place into Guernseyland theme park?
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Beanjar:
So Guernsey drivers should carry the most weight in this argument should they? Is Guernsey the only place that has speed limits? Aren’t the views of a person who visits monthly and has family here valid? Yes, they are, completely valid. No more, and no less than yours. In fact, on the basis that Caroline sees this from both perspectives as far as I am concerned her opinion is more valid, more interesting and more relevant than yocals who are completely Guernsey centric.
Just my opinion of course, object at your leisure.
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TM, on that basis why are you wasting your time trolling here when you could be telling drivers in the UK, Germany or Zimbabwe to drive everywhere at 20mph?
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Beanjar:
Silly question.
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Beanjar…Truth Man
Chill!
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How you thought about installing speed cameras – they are a nice little earner and effective here in West Sussex. What do you think Caroline?
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