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Not sure why this is though perhaps it is not a coincidence that 19mph is 30kph.
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Sounds as if someone wanted to go metric (for some unknown reason in this case), and then allowed his pocket calculator to get out of sync with his brain.
At work (and, believe it or not, this actually went into a service bulletin!) someone converted a torque (that was originally in lb.ft) into Joules(!) ~ which is , of course, a unit of energy. His conversion factor was numerically correct, but he missed the point that torque in lb.ft is not the same as energy in ft.lb...........if you see what I mean. Both torque and energy can be calculated by multiplying lb by ft (or vice versa) but the resulting units are not the same.
I suspect that the perpetrator of the 19mph sign was similarly befuddled.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Probably a bit like shops charging £19.99 rather than £20. Drivers will round up their speed to 20mph rather than 25 or 30 and so speeds will be kept nearer to what the road planner (is that an oxymoron?) intended.
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I've seen this before in oil refineries with a high safety emphasis. A speed limit sign with 19 mph on it gets noticed (as this thread proves). I've seen signs at 19 1/2 mph as well.
Canuck
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'19' stands out visually more than 20, which looks a bit like 30! But by the time you've worked out exactly where the needle should be pointing on your speedo you'll have hit the sign.
Cheers, SS
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As it required a special act to allow local autorities to lower some urban limits to 20mph, I'm not too sure of the legality of a 19mph limit on the public highway.
LA's do get it wrong, and a few councils had to alter direction signs which showed metric distances when The highways Agency pointed out it was unlawful.
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Here in Benfleet, Essex we recently had a speed limit of 10mph on one section of the public highway, not that may drivers took much notice of it!
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Oh for the good old days when the speed limit was either 30mph in built-up areas or no limit elsewhere.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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There is one of these 19 mph road markings when you enter Broughton Shopping Centre near Chester. Never seen anything like that before.
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This has come up before, either on this forum or elsewhere. IIRC they were placed by the developer but I cannot remember the background.
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In my opinion, and as posted above, it's simply to get noticed. I read an article about this in one of the Dailies a few months back. IIRC, within a certain tolerance that doesn't contradict absolute maximums, councils are able to set whatever limit they like in some circumstances, and some have chosen to do exactly that.
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Some of these speed limits are quite ridiculous in terms of registering on your speedo.
Any day now, a 2mph limit somewhere - don't walk too fast.
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Don't you think 2mph is a bit dangerous for walking through a crowded town centre?
You could accidently knock someone.
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Adam
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Don't you think 2mph is a bit dangerous for walking through a crowded town centre? You could accidently knock someone. -- Adam
Should be OK provided someone walks in front of you carrying a red flag! ;-)
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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A Google search revealed that the 30kph (19 mph) limit is/was used in Graz, Austria, as a "traffic calming measure". Presumably we are now blindly copying Austria. Can't we be original about anything?
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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... or someone drives in front of you carrying a red flag!
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Found this:
www.cambourne.info/news.html
Quote:
"Bemused drivers are slowed by new signs DRIVERS in Cambourne may have been scratching their heads but they have been driving slower, according to the village's developers.
Speed signs with a difference installed on the village's private roads urge drivers to keep within a 19 mph speed limit. There are currently around 20 speed restriction signs on Cambourne's roads, which developers describe as winding and difficult to gather speed on. Gail Taylor, press officer for the developers, said the new signs had an immediate and noticeable effect. She said: "The reason for having a 19 mile per hour limit is to attract attention to the signs as it is an unusual number."
Despite the reported success of the scheme David Brace, team leader of traffic management at Cambridgeshire County Council, said the county council would not endorse the speed restriction. "At the moment the roads are privately-owned so it's up to the developers to impose whatever restrictions they want. "If the county council does adopt the roads we would not accept a speed limit which was not a conventional number," he added.
Dr Donald Laming, senior university lecturer in Cambridge University's psychology department, said the idea worked on the same principle as the 99p pricing system in shops. He said: "If I see something for £12.99 I think it costs £13." He said he was not aware of any professional studies indicating the success of such tactics but his opinion, as a layman, was the signs might work and only studying drivers' behaviour would reveal the true picture."
So if the council won't enforce the speed restiction that is posted (i.e. 19mph), what is the speed limit?
Mind you the bit that amused me was describing Cambourne as a village.
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Pedantic point, but the reason goods in shops are £X.99p is not to make them seem cheaper, but to ensure the assistant has to ring the till to get the 1p change, and not fall into temptation and pocket the banknote.
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That seems valid, but they have to ring the till in order to give us a receipt, not that a receipt is required in law though.
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Unless there has been an amending Regulation then this sign is not one authorised by the Sec of State under Traffic Signs and General Directions 2004 so any speed limit that it refers to cannot be legal.
Have a look at
tinyurl.com/6wpk7
Scroll down and 19 mentioned.
DVD
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So at least we won't get other odd numbers springing up! 27mph, anyone?
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Thought so. It's another example of Euro-creep.
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So if the council won't enforce the speed restiction that is posted (i.e. 19mph), what is the speed limit?
In my opinion, if the roads are privately owned, there is no speed limit, whatever the signs say! The traffic laws apply to the public highway.
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>>Oh for the good old days when the speed limit was either 30mph in built-up areas or no limit elsewhere.
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In France, im my experience, they don't use de-restricted signs at the end of lower speed limits. All sections of road have signs denoting the speed limit. If applied here, that would mean at the end of a 30 limit, going into a 'de-restricted' section, there would be a '60' sign.
Also, in France, speed limits vary much more along a given stretch of main road to suit conditions. I think we could do that here too - many B-roads and poorer sections of A-road should have 50 or 40 limits while many motorway sections would be safe with an 80 limit for cars and light vans.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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It's coming here. Several junctions on the A5 in Shropshire and that at Watford Gap drop the limit to 40/50 over half a mile or so. Also note increasing use of junction name on appraoch to major junctions eg Shrawardine Turn (salop) and Gibbett Crossroads (A5/A426) on Warwicks/Leics border.
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