If you hit someone in your car:
At 40mph the chances of killing them are 90%.
At 30mph it is 50/50.
At 20mph that goes down to 10%.
We all get that but there needs to be some common sense.
I can't continue driving around the city at night at 20mph in 3rd or 2nd gear depending on the load, this is ridiculous.
There are no schoolchildren around and you only need to keep an eye on the odd drunk.
In the evening there is no need to have these speed limits and many businesses are suffering.
If they are slowing us down to protect the kids, surely that is down to parents and education?
That still doesn't explain the slow speeds in the early hours.
If you don't live in an area that has a 20mph zone, then it's only a matter of time because they can't do it to the odd estate and leave the others.
Together with the parking permits that have an impact on small businesses, then yes, it does look like the council are against car drivers (some businesses as well).