Originally Posted by
Cyclaholic
I just don't understand how it is that if the majority of people at a particular place break a law it then becomes OK to break that law at that place..... does that mean that is the majority of drivers road rage cyclists on a particular road then it becomes legal to do so? that's the message being sent, and maybe that's why so many drivers seem to obey the laws that they think should exist rather than the ones that actually do.
That's the side effect of a law designed to prevent speed traps (by arbitrarily setting up a low speed limit on a fast stretch of road, and ticketing everyone).
However, the 85th percentile is not the only factor (the locality commissions a Speed Zone Survey to come up with a recommended speed). In the survey, there can be other factors noted (like blind corners, bike riders, no shoulder, etc) used to justify a lower speed limit.
Then the police can legally use radar to enforce whatever speed limit the survey recommends.
Clearly the town council are idiots, and not really interested in safety.