#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
For years, we’ve been told that driving is becoming safer, smarter, and more regulated, but what if the next phase isn’t about enforcement at all, at least not in the traditional sense, and instead marks a shift towards something far more pervasive, far more subtle, and arguably far more consequential for the everyday motorist?
While I was living in the UAE, the UK quietly rolled out something called Smart Motorways.
Now bear in mind – I’d been away for a bit, so when I came back and first heard about these, I honestly thought someone was taking the mick.
“Wait… they removed the hard shoulder? On purpose? And called that ‘smart’?!”
Is driving at 25mph the new criminal offence? Apparently, yes – if you’re in London, Wales or an increasing number of towns and cities across Britain. In what feels like an ever-tightening noose on British motorists, the humble 20mph speed limit is no longer just for school zones or hospitals – it’s everywhere. In Wales, a blanket 20mph limit was rolled out across most built-up areas in 2023. Meanwhile, London, never one to miss an opportunity for regulation, has been steadily replacing 30 zones with 20s – now covering over half the city’s roads. And guess what? Other councils are falling in line faster than you can say “Notice of Intended Prosecution.”
