I READ a comment piece by Adam Trimingham about 20mph zones across Brighton and Hove (The Argus, May 16).

He says that cars slowing down will reduce accidents with pedestrians.

The last time I looked, cars didn’t drive along the pavements mowing down people.

When a pedestrian is hit by a car, it is normally because they walk out in front of a vehicle without looking first.

I have had to take action several times to avoid people walking along with headphones on, who don’t hear cars coming and wander across the road in front of me.

I have seen cyclists with headphones on or using a mobile phone to text while not holding their handlebars – how crazy is that?

I pick my wife up from Hove most evenings and travel along Nevill Road. This area has recently been made a 20mph zone, even though Adam’s piece says main roads won’t be affected.

Turning off from Old Shoreham Road, there is a 20mph zone because of a school. But at the other end of Nevill Road, you turn off to the left where there is another school but the speed limit is 30mph.

If the 20mph limit is because of schools, why are the side roads at this point posted as 30mph limits?

There are no schoolchildren about at weekends, at night or during the holidays so why do we need to crawl along the road watching the traffic lights ahead of us change a couple of times before we reach them?

Why can’t they have what is outside my local school? A flashing light with a 20mph restriction during the times when children are likely to be about.

We should drum into children that they are perfectly safe on the pavements, and that they should stay there until they need to cross – then look out for traffic and you won’t get flattened: simple really.

Why are car drivers punished because of pedestrians making mistakes? Is it Darwin’s theory in action?

Paul Docherty, Butts Road, Southwick

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