Will walking exceed the speed limit?
The traffic management department of Changsha city has set up such a sign, either full of high recognition of automobile manufacturing industry level, or extreme trust in drivers' driving skills. Who can maintain a speed of less than 5 kilometers per hour for the entire two or three-kilometer section?
An adult's normal walking speed is about 5 kilometers per hour, so if you walk faster, like rushing due to being late, will that also be considered as speeding?
How many people abide by the rule of 5 kilometers per hour?
The result is actually foreseeable.
To maintain a speed of 5 kilometers per hour, manual transmission vehicles may need half-clutch if higher gear is engaged, and it's easy to stall or speed unintentionally. Automatic transmission vehicles basically need to keep the brake on halfway.
In fact, reporters from the Changsha Evening News obtained such observational data on-site:
In 5 minutes, a total of 20 cars passed through the school gate, including 3 taxis, 10 freight trucks, and 7 private cars. The reporter saw that most vehicles would slow down consciously when reaching the crossroads, but their speeds were still around 20 kilometers per hour. Once they saw no pedestrians at the intersection, the drivers would quickly pass through. Not a single car under the speed limit sign reduced its speed to 5 kilometers per hour.
—Changsha Evening News
The original intention of setting up the speed limit sign
This sign is located near an elementary school. The original intention of the traffic management department in setting up the speed limit sign should be to remind motor vehicles to reduce their speed when passing through schools, thus maintaining traffic safety.
However, the almost impossible-to-reach speed limit requirement of 5 kilometers per hour is completely ineffective for drivers passing by. Behind the establishment of this sign, apart from seeing the lack of common sense among traffic management personnel, what else can we see?
Who approved the establishment of this absurd speed limit sign?
According to relevant regulations, the establishment of speed limit signs must be approved by the traffic authorities of county-level or above local governments, and must comply with the technical standards of highway engineering of the Ministry of Transport.
If the设定of a 5-kilometer-per-hour speed limit by traffic management personnel is a joke lacking common sense, then the smooth establishment of this speed limit sign is a satire on the Changsha traffic authorities. Our traffic sign establishment system was apparently unable to detect a sign that obviously defies common sense. Its smooth establishment could possibly stem from three scenarios:
1. The traffic authority was unaware of the establishment of this sign.
2. Or, they saw it but similarly did not realize that it was a regulation violating common sense.
3. They saw the application for the establishment of this sign and noticed its errors, but they thought establishing such a shocking speed limit sign could better remind drivers to pay attention to traffic safety.
In the first assumption, this is a typical case of nonfeasance.
If the second assumption holds true, it is indeed a disgrace to government work.