Welsh roads switching to 20mph

Much prefer one of my scooters for any type of commuting, and if I could find a half decent electric maxi scooter that doesn’t cost the price of a small car then I will definitely go down that route in the future.
As for pedestrians and the Highway Code, I thought it was only at junctions they and cyclists had the right of way if they were going straight on and you were planning to turn left, but perhaps I got that wrong ? 🤔
 
I guess I'm lucky but at nearly 68 I can still commute right across metro Melbourne on my bicycle (one a lightweight road racer, the other 'The Truck' an MTB with road tyres). In nearly all cases it's way quicker than a car and probably on a par or better than with the moto. This week I'm doing 4 days at 20-25km each way and I can do nearly all of that on off-road trails (paths built along creeks, freeways or rail lines), away from ignorant drivers. The infrastructure makes a huge diff.

It saddens me a bit that i see so many young and fit people riding electric, as if the concept of pedal power doesn't even exist. If we've already got an obesity epidemic, then the elec boom is only going to exacerbate it. I recall the 10 or 15 years before the boom in E-bikes/scooters, it was actually hip for young people to head out on their self-powered bikes (even hipsters on their single speeds or fixies!), whether to work or a night out - not so common any more. And workplaces were all setting up shower facilities for workers who rode - now the majority see themselves as too time-poor to 'waste' 15 minutes showering and getting changed before work.

I could ride the Laverda as a commuter - definitely filtering makes it miles quicker than a car but I actually much prefer producing my own power - it has many benefits in mental and physical health. I understand that at our age and with the health issues we all start to face as we age (in concert with our beloved Lavs), cycling isn't for everyone, but I'll be doing it for as long as I'm physically able.

Sharing the trails on a treadlie with E-bikes and scooters is starting to feel a bit like sharing the roads as a motorcyclist with cars. And I don't mind 30-40kph limits on very congested inner-city urban streets; it's the blanket move to 80kph rural secondaries that's worrying me.
 
I think the reason so many commuters are switching to e-bikes is the sweat factor! Nobody wants to show up at work all sweaty and sit in an office in sweaty clothes for 8 more hours. Until all workplaces offer changing rooms and showers for both sexes the switch to e-bikes will continue. It just makes sense.
 
True - but I made the point that in Melbourne at least, starting probably 20 years ago organisations were making sure they had shower facilities. Now they don't need to supply them. E-bikes and scooters are the easy way out. As for recycling the billions of batteries we're going to produce ... I still prefer my producing own watts ;)
 
a village near me (Otford Kent) has recently become a 20mph zone, several traffic calming islands, shading, and width restrictions have been introduced and single file, alternate one way bollards at the entry and exit points of the village. AFAIK there have never been any collisions of note, now there have been several that have taken out the bollards at least three times, when they are left and not repaired no one is bothered, then they put them up again and at some point another collision occurs, waste of public time and money, most were doing around 20mph there anyway, and at schooll entry or exit time more like 5mph, or even stopped! so there was not a problem, they changed the layout and have had several, one of them very serious, they should have spent the money repairing the roads we already have that badly need it.
CLEM
 
piranha-bro2 said:
True - but I made the point that in Melbourne at least, starting probably 20 years ago organisations were making sure they had shower facilities. Now they don't need to supply them. E-bikes and scooters are the easy way out. As for recycling the billions of batteries we're going to produce ... I still prefer my producing own watts ;)
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I’m sure that larger firms with larger premises can fit them in, but what about smaller retail and food outlets? A lot of people don’t have the luxury of having an employer with deep enough pockets to build such things for their staff. And those businesses employ a lot of people!
 
Alzero said:
I’m sure that larger firms with larger premises can fit them in, but what about smaller retail and food outlets? A lot of people don’t have the luxury of having an employer with deep enough pockets to build such things for their staff. And those businesses employ a lot of people!
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Very true. But I still ride 25km at pretty quick clip to a small retail bike shop and I just need a basin and a towel. But I don't have to front up in a suit either. I do realise I'm never going to turn the tide back to pedal power. Pros and cons with every solution ...
 
piranha-bro2 said:
Very true. But I still ride 25km at pretty quick clip to a small retail bike shop and I just need a basin and a towel. But I don't have to front up in a suit either. I do realise I'm never going to turn the tide back to pedal power. Pros and cons with every solution ...
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You aren’t a woman either! Hair, makeup, dress and shoes all are incompatible with a pedal bike. And they are, what? 40% of the workforce? If we are ever going to make headway on the climate we need to get them on board too.
 
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Alzero said:
You aren’t a woman either! Hair, makeup, dress and shoes all are incompatible with a pedal bike. And they are, what? 40% of the workforce? If we are ever going to make headway on the climate we need to get them on board too.
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Here on the other side of Aus the cycle infrastructure is quite good and my 24km each way commute is often quicker than driving (I hate traffic) particularly in the afternoon. As you note though, the majority of cyclists are male however the proportion of females on scooters is probably 50:50 - but they do disappear rapidly if it rains. One’s condition on arrival really depends on how much energy one puts in ….and hills. You don’t have to ride like a hero. Our “end of journey facilities” ( used to be called change rooms in the old days) are quite good and equipped with such useful things as ironing boards, hair dryers and drying cabinets - so cater for all types. To me the commute on a cycle is time predictable down to the minute while driving is anything but.
 
My neighbor decent bloke well into his 70s keeps bragging he rides his bike 25-30 miles three times a week and plays golf at least twice a week, it is part of his fitness regimen? The bicycle is an 'e-bike and his Golf Club does not permit players to walk the fairways you have to drive a golf cart around the course, fitness, WTH.

I live in a resort/retirement area where the streets are in good shape with many bicycle-friendly roads. During the season lots of older folks are out on 'E bicycles' with all the safety gear, many appear as though they have never ridden a bike since they were a kid if ever. I am sure they all have driver's licenses but when on the 'e bikes' it seems they believe road rules do not apply to them.
The Emergency Department and the Orthopedic doctors are doing a roaring trade, broken hips are the number 1 fracture, and wrists are next. Just like motorcycles, some people, retirees in particular should not take to bicycles or e-bicycles,
 
Alzero said:
You aren’t a woman either! Hair, makeup, dress and shoes all are incompatible with a pedal bike. And they are, what? 40% of the workforce? If we are ever going to make headway on the climate we need to get them on board too.
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Plenty of the women in my bicycle club commute the 40km each way to Oslo, but they don't look like Dame Edna (RIP bless her soul).
Take a look at any footage of the women athletes competing for gold at the recent world athletic championships. Hair, make-up, nails, the full bit.
The major source of roadside air pollution here is said to be ultra pulverised bitumen and tyres, they reduce speed limits on some arterial roads through the city in winter as it is worse in the cold dry air apparently.
 
Tippie said:
Plenty of the women in my bicycle club commute the 40km each way to Oslo, but they don't look like Dame Edna (RIP bless her soul).
Take a look at any footage of the women athletes competing for gold at the recent world athletic championships. Hair, make-up, nails, the full bit.
The major source of roadside air pollution here is said to be ultra pulverised bitumen and tyres, they reduce speed limits on some arterial roads through the city in winter as it is worse in the cold dry air apparently.
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I suppose it depends upon the sort of job she has? And the expectations of her employer as to appearance. A summer commute that would be feasible up north could be totally unacceptable in, say, Spain or Texas, for instance.
That info about tyre particles does not bode well for you up in the north, what with the long cold winters, widespread transition to EVs and the trend towards longer ranges, bigger batteries and heavier vehicles.
 
A surprising number of women commuters here in Melbourne, some in lycra and most not in the slightest bit interested in their do or fashionable clobber - maybe they get into that stuff once they're 'in office'. i've heard that helmets will never be worn in places like Paris because i=they would mess up 'the coiffe'!
 
As of this moment , 443,000 people have signed a petition demanding the Welsh 20 mph limit be scrapped ....... A minimum of 100,000 is needed to guarantee a debate in the Welsh Assembly ......

That means more people have now voted against the 20 mph limits than voted for the ruling Welsh Labour Party in 2021 .......

Drakeford and his sidekicks are now saying that maybe a blanket 20 mph limit isn`t appropriate on all residential roads after all ......... anyone sense sweaty fingers tugging away at tight shirt collars .... ? ........
 
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I’m generally in favour of a 20mph speed limit in places with lots of pedestrians, unless of course it inconveniences me when I’m in a hurry to get somewhere - and that’s where the problem is, we (nearly) all think like that.
 
My plan involves not riding or driving on the footpath if pedestrians look hard before walking out on the road, without a phone in front of their faces.
 
Andy J said:
I’m generally in favour of a 20mph speed limit in places with lots of pedestrians, unless of course it inconveniences me when I’m in a hurry to get somewhere - and that’s where the problem is, we (nearly) all think like that.
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More and more 30km/h limits in town over here.
I respect them when in the car, particularly if there's some arsehole in a hurry behind.
Difficult to respect on a bike, but then, most of the highway code is for cars unfortunately.
I'm very rarely in town with the car, I have a modern bike for that and I'm now using a push bike for short local hops.
Paul
 
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