Driving in Kent feels all rather stressful of late.

Ever changing motorway speed limits and closures as one section is shut and repaired and then another; the potholes springing up like a game of whack-a-mole and a never ending stream of utility works, temporary lights and barriers often shielding one small hole without a workman in sight.

In fact my colleague Chris Britcher’s weekend list of the driving habits most likely to enrage Kent motorists may have had you nodding your head in fierce agreement?

In stark contrast I had a rather peaceful pootle into London on Friday night, that has left me wondering whether Sadiq Khan’s push for 20mph limits in the suburbs is nothing short of a stroke of genius that should be adopted everywhere else?

Admittedly ‘peaceful’, ‘London’ and ‘driving’ aren’t words you’d think would go together - and definitely not in evening rush hour.

However a sense of calm appears to be sweeping the camera-clad residential streets of London where drivers are being given little choice but to motor through the city’s outskirts in a meandering fashion under the watchful eye of a network of lenses poised to flash should your speedometer be tempted to get over-excited.

When Wales introduced a default 20mph limit it evoked a ‘cultural war battlefield’ said one local writer as people went head to head over how quickly they could put the pedal to the metal.

So significant remains opposition to the policy - designed to cut emissions and save lives - that the government last year announced a further £5million to reassess some roads.

But any opposition further south has not deterred the capital, which now has more than 160 miles of road converted with no doubt more in the pipeline.

Now there’s slow and then there’s something akin to a snail’s pace.

And while I know it not to be true - at points you do wonder if you could park-up and walk quicker.

However with every motorist bound by the same rules and - more likely - controlled by the same fear of a camera flash and an ensuing fine, any temptation to tailgate, overtake or taunt the vehicle in front is fruitless.

So extensive is the supervision - there’s little choice but to sit back and respect the rules.

It’s also remarkable at how quickly you get used to it and, after 40 minutes of speed bumps and cameras at every turn, revving to 30mph felt positively wreckless.

Whether it’s having the desired outcome possibly remains open to debate with data in its infancy, but as city driving experiences go - I rather liked it.

And while I’m rarely one to declare support for more state surveillance - there’s something to be said for a network of cameras so stringent and extensive that there’s very little option but for everyone to ‘play nice’ or just ‘drive nice’ perhaps.

There’s an added bonus too, to being able to take your time.

It’s much easier to swerve the potholes.