Cyclist Alex Dowsett said he had no problem with the new 20 mph (miles per hour) speed limit established by Cycling Time Trials (CDT), the organization that administers time trials in the United Kingdom. Regulations announced last Tuesday will require all cyclists taking part in time trials on British roads to slow down when passing 20mph zones.
Changes brought by the new rule
According to the CTT, the decision to introduce the rule was born out of a consensus that 20mph zones and time trials were “inappropriate”. Therefore, any route that covers a significant portion of these areas should be avoided if there is an alternative.
The new regulations will cause controversy among cyclists in the UK. However, Dowsett, a multiple-time national time trial champion, told British website Cycling Weekly that he saw the move as a logical step to secure the sport's future on British roads.
A prevailing view
“To be honest, I don't think it changes that much, it's the right thing to do,” he said. “There will be some journeys lost because of 20mph limits, there will be questions about 30mph limits, but I think most journeys are on roads with national speed limits.”
“I'm not necessarily talking about dual carriageways, but country roads where there's less traffic. I imagine the 20mph speed limit reflects a lot of traffic, which is an unlikely starting point for a journey.
CTT's response
The CTT justified its new guidance by explaining that most competitors in British time trials tend to travel at 20 to 30 mph. The agency recognized that riding at high speeds could cause “public outrage” and pose a danger to both road users and cyclists.
“This type of behavior calls for a review of the current permit to hold time trials on public roads, exposes cyclists and organizers to potential civil and criminal action and invalidates the insurance maintained by the CTT for time trial participants,” he says. .
According to Dowsett, after reading the new information, he felt it was a prudent move by CTT in the long run. “In any case, a national governing body must encourage adherence to speed limits and laws to protect our sport in the long term,” he concluded.
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