From Newsgroup: uk.rec.cycling


Note 1: Half of this article is about 20mph limits in Wales

Note 2: This rCyresearchrCO is based on modelling

Note 3: There is no actual data from Melbourne

Note 4: Modelling has a bad name, following the wild predictions from
climate models failing to be met by reality

Note 5: Climate models reduce the issue to stripped-down parameters because there isnrCOt enough computing power available to model what we do know; but even so we donrCOt know what all the inputs would be.

Note 6: Current climate models donrCOt model clouds, even though water is the dominant greenhouse gas by far and clods have a significant effect on
climate.

Article:

Reducing speed limits to 20mph protects cyclists and doesnrCOt delay traffic, new research finds

Researchers in Australia modelled traffic stress levels according to
varying speed limitsrCa and the results are no surprise

by RYAN MALLON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CALLUM DEVEREUX
FRI, OCT 17, 2025 09:34

Reduced speed limits in residential areas not only protect cyclists and
make cycling less stressful but also do not cause traffic delays for
motorists, a new study from Australia suggests.

[Note that the narrative has shifted from rCyresearch findsrCO to rCy(the) study
suggestsrCO]

As part of the new study, researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) modelled reductions of the speed limit from 50kph (31mph)
to 30kph (18mph) in residential areas of Greater Melbourne and rated
traffic stress levels across the city.

They found that a reduced speed limit doubled bike usage on rCLlow-stressrCY streets, while the targeted imposition of a lower speed limit resulted in rCLminimalrCY journey delays for car drivers of no greater than a minute.

This negligible impact on journey times, the researchers say, was due to lowered speed limits largely being applied on local streets instead of
larger, rCybusierrCO roads designed to maximise the flow of traffic.

The Australian study, published in Cycling and Micromobility Research (link
is external), also found that decreased speed limits reduced traffic stress
for both drivers and cyclists, and built on existing research that found rCLpurpose-built, bicycle-specific infrastructure is associated with a lower risk of crash and injury for cyclistsrCY.

The researchers concluded that improved cycling infrastructure and safer
roads resulted in the biggest cultural shifts among rCLinterested but concernedrCY, risk-averse cyclists.

In other words, these policy changes do not just cater to an existing demographic of cyclists, but play a key role in encouraging more people,
such as children and less confident cyclists, to ride their bikes.

rCLSlowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more
people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport,rCY the studyrCOs lead researcher, Dr Afshin Jafari, says.

This rCLbuild it and they will comerCY approach has also been seen in other major cities around the world such as Paris and Toronto, and in London
during the recent Underground strikes.

Jafari added that most existing cycle lanes on 40mph or 50mph roads were
highly stressful for less confident cyclists, discouraging them from
cycling.

Following the studyrCOs publication, the director of the Institute for
Sensible Transport, Dr Elliot Fishman, pointed out that cycling rates in Australia remain low, accounting for only two per cent of commutes to work
rCo and had barely shifted in the past 20 years.

rCLThe main reason people are choosing to make those trips by car rather than cycling is that they donrCOt feel safe riding a bike,rCY Fishman told the Guardian (link is external).

Calling for a standard 30kph speed limit on all residential streets in Australia, Fishman said: rCLIf you get hit by a car travelling at 50kph, yourCOve only got a 1.5-in-10 chance of surviving. If itrCOs going 30kph yourCOve
got a nine-in-10 chance.rCY

[linked article] Cyclist casualties down 28% and 900 fewer road injuries
since 20mph limit introduced in Wales rCo but driving instructor still brands change a rCLtotal disasterrCY

This latest study adds to the growing volume of research and data detailing
the advantages of reduced speed limits rCo but the policy remains politically controversial.

Last month, we reported that new data revealed that the number of cyclists injured or killed in road traffic incidents in Wales has fallen by more
than a quarter since the roll-out of the countryrCOs rCydefaultrCO 20mph speed limit.

In September 2023, amid widespread political debate and acrimony, the Welsh government introduced a default 20mph speed limit on urban and residential roads (where most, though not all, dropped from 30mph), increasing the approximately 870km of 20mph roads in Wales to 13,000km.

And according to figures released by the Welsh government, between the policyrCOs rollout in September 2023 and the end of March, 348 cyclists were killed or injured on all roads in Wales, down 28 per cent compared with the
481 reported casualties from April 2022 to September 2023.

The number of cyclists seriously injured also decreased by 30 per cent
during the same period. North Wales, which saw 94 per cent of its 30mph
roads switch to 20mph, recorded the biggest decrease in total casualties.

The success of WalesrCO reduced speed limits, and their significant impact on casualty figures, has been branded rCLproof that slower speeds on our roads save livesrCY by active travel organisations such as Cycling UK, who
described the policy as the rCLsingle most significant and positive change werCOve ever seen in any nation in the UKrCY.

Earlier this year, Cycling UK also called on the rest of the United Kingdom
to implement similar lower urban speed limits, while a recent active travel report commissioned by the Bikeability Trust and Living Streets charities
urged the government to introduce default 20mph speed limits for motor
vehicles in all urban areas.

[linked article] Cyclists call for 20mph limits on all Oxford roads by 2029
rCo but bus company says lower speeds would lead to congestion, longer
journey times, and rCLless attractiverCY travel

The scheme hasnrCOt been without its critics, however. Despite the promising road safety figures, question marks continue to hang over the future of WalesrCO default 20mph speed limit on residential roads, as several councils currently consider whether more roads could be switched back to 30mph.

The Conservative shadow secretary for transport in Wales, Peter Fox, also claimed that rCo despite causality numbers dropping rCo the party still held concerns about the policy, arguing that it confuses drivers and that a
rCLmore sensiblerCY approach should be adopted.

rCLWhile we welcome any decrease in road casualties, these figures donrCOt tell the whole story. Our concern remains the way the 20mph speed limit has been implemented,rCY Fox said earlier this year.

rCLThe Welsh Labour governmentrCOs default approach has created confusion and frustration for drivers and their current review must address these implementation issues and ensure a more sensible and effective approach.rCY
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