Cycling race re-routed because speed limit changes prevented support cars keeping up
Cycling: 20mph speed limit leads to Junior Tour of Wales reroute
For context, Wales recently reduced it's 'default' speed limit down to 20mph.
This is so dumb, it sounds like an attempt at making the speedlimits look like a bad thing. Obviously you can just make exceptions for a race like this. Its gonna be blocked off anyways so its not a public road at that point. Exceptions to standard rules are completely normal for events like this, i dont see why this would be any different.
This is actually a long standing rule and the reason British racing green exists.
Speed limits still apply for public roads even if closed to the public. And it used to be a local council would need to go to Westminster to make exceptions. That changed recently with more power going to local authorities, but there's still going to be some restrictions.
The lower speed limit is new and it looks like there isn't a law yet to allow this:
Richard Hopkins, the race organiser, said: "A Welsh government scheme designed to enable cycle races to manage race and public safety through 20mph zones has failed, leaving us with a major problem
They should break the law and the city should ignore it.
There's going to be lots of bicycle riders on the road, it wont be empty...
Welsh Cycling said it supported the default speed limit being lowered because of the improvement to road safety for cyclists, but said it had "presented some challenges for delivering road racing".
I'm confused. Low speed limits with ordinary traffic is safer for cyclists... but this isn't ordinary traffic. They are support vehicles, used in every major race.
Whoever is enforcing this law is doing so because they hate cyclists. It's like petty revenge for motorists having to abide by the lowered speed limits.
Whoever is enforcing this law is doing so because they hate cyclists. It's like petty revenge for motorists having to abide by the lowered speed limits.
Thank you for commenting what I was thinking but couldn't quite figure out how to articulate.
Unless they get an exclusion, all the risk is on the driver's of the support cars. It would probably be fine, but if there is an automatic speed camera somewhere there would be problems.
Unless they get an exclusion, all the risk is on the driver’s of the support cars.
But... these support cars are already following the racers for hundreds of KM, so I'm not sure what risk you are referring to.
We're talking about a very small stretch where the speed limits are lower (for the general population during everyday driving), and I'm still not sure why this would be a problem during a planned racing event.
The article makes it seem like they can't continue on those small stretches "because the law says you can't go over 20mph". Seems crazy in this context!
What about on other roads, where there are stop signs or traffic lights? Is it expected that the support vehicles along the race route would have to stop for each one? If so, the race should be completely taken out of Wales for the absurdity of it.
but if there is an automatic speed camera somewhere there would be problems.
Yeah, that would be an inconvenience, but the local authorities would know how to remedy it.