20mph School Flashing Speed Limits Lights July 2007
Highways energy usage - can it only ever increase?
It seems that every day we are given more and more advice on how we as consumers should look at our energy usage and the way our lifestyles impact on the environment.
We are encouraged to recycle every bottle and jar, every newspaper and piece of cardboard, every scrap of plastic. We must compost our waste, turn off unnecessary lights, cut down on unnecessary journeys and unplug our phone chargers and electrical equipment when on standby. We can all "do our bit" to save the planet.
Most are happy to tow the line, yet does this attitude extend to our local authorities?
School Speed Limit Signs Leicestershire County Council is installing 20mph speed limit zones around many of our schools. 15 schemes have already been installed and another 50 will be installed in the coming year.
In Leicestershire, each scheme includes powered signs with lights that flash at preprogrammed times each day, notifying drivers of the reduced 20mph speed limit (which is in fact advisory rather than mandatory).
These signs need energy to install, energy to run whilst they are flashing, and energy in standby mode whilst they are not flashing. They consume energy throughout the day, the night, weekends and school holidays.
Chips with everything? Or lights with everything?
Should we be looking in more detail at what we install on our roads in terms of its energy consumption and carbon footprint? Of course we are all concerned about safety, but in Quorn the school is not on a busy road, nor is it on a through-route. Although the "standby" energy consumption of these units is small, should we be installing non-mandatory speed limit signs that continuously consume energy?
Would static (non-flashing) speed limit signs be just as effective?
Vote for your preferred option
The Saint Bart's 20mph speed limit flashing lights scheme in Quorn is going ahead, but we've set up a simple voting system to allow you to express your view about future schemes. The options below are not exhaustive, but it will allow us to gauge opinion on this. Please read the information below and vote on your preferred option.
Voting has now closed. These were the options:
Option 1:
Leave things just as they are
I really don't see any need for this scheme and yet more street clutter. The school is neither on a main road nor is it a busy cut-through. Speeding is not an issue and there are already school warning signs. Why "improve things" if no problems have been identified?
Option 2:
Install 20mph speed limit with flashing lights
Yes, I know that these units consume energy all of the time, but I think it will increase safety. The lights will flash at the beginning and at the end of the school day. The proposed wording on the signs will be "20mph when lights flash" so it only applies over restricted hours during school terms.
Option 3:
Install 20mph static speed limit signs
We should not install new highways equipment that continually consumes energy. For this scheme, remove the flashing lights and hence the ongoing energy consumption, and change the wording on the signs to "20mph at all times". That way, no power is consumed after installation, and children from the school are protected at times other than just mornings and afternoons.
Highways energy usage - can it only ever increase?
63%
