[Closed] Can you challenge over zealous speed limits?

try it agent. What I found was I actually spent almost no time behind other vehicles 'cos we were all doing much of the same speed. If I did I just dropped right back and if they really were slow ( 40mph lorries) overtook at the next opportunity. Its a road I know well and I know all the main overtaking places. Its the desire to overtake that creates the stress. Sitting back and chilling takes it all away. Trying to make progress puts you ( on this road) in a position of constantly searching for overtakes and as soon as you pass one car you come up behind another.

I was surprised how much less stressful it was and how little extra time it took

Remember that these are speed [b]limits[/b] not targets.

Given that this is a cycling forum there are a significant number of posters who claim to drive in the very manner that many say frightens them enough not to cycle on the roads. Somewhat ironic.

I appreciate chances are slim, but are there any cyclists on this thread? Because it's significantly nicer cycling on roads with a 40mph limit than a 60mph limit, even if some twunts ignore it.

EDIT: Whitestone, jinx!

OTOH of course lower speeds make sense to reduce emissions in places near towns

Traffic's at a crawl whilst I'm choking on your fumes on my walk to work. 😐

Fine unless you're doing a big mileage or, say, travelling the route every day.
If for example I was doing a 2hr journey, it would now be a 3hr journey. If I was doing that as a round trip...

Well I'd refer back to the actual OP about 'sections' of road (and I did ask how long they were) by the description I think we're talking about small sections of a few miles tops, possibly less, not enforcing a 30% drop for 3 hrs solid.

I also caveated that those times were under ideal conditions, the real world isn't ideal and $OTHER_THINGS will cause you to slow down and vary almost as much as a nominal drop in the speed limit, we're not talking about motorways here after all.

On any long journey you'll also be taking regular enough breaks that a few mins here or there pales into insignificance over the whole trip.

So I still call shennigans on the delay aspect of theargument, even if you are doing it every day, a few mins here or there is nothing.

The effect TJ describes is really valid, I think a lot of people [i]make [/i]driving more stressful for themselves by the way they act, which then sets up expectations, and means the annoyances become greater and you become more sensitive to them, sometimes all that is needed is an adjustment to your own attitude, not always easy but worth a moment's thought now and again 🙂

are there any cyclists on this thread?

Yeah!

Remember that these are speed limits not targets

Bull-sheeet!
I'll travel as fast as I safely can, whether on four wheels, two wheels or two feet. 😀

Anyway, I've forgone car ownership so I can look down my nose at you lot. 😀
I now class drivers in the same group as people who have more than two children; selfish scum! 😛

the whole premise behind driving is that you have to assume it's totally unpredictable the whole time and make allowances for this.

I'm not saying otherwise, of course.

My point is that when most drivers look before pulling out of junctions, they are expecting you to be doing 50-60 if it's nsl. If you are some distance away, the driver may nit notice, and think there is plenty of room. Well in distance terms, there is lots of room, but your speed takes that room away.

To put it another way, defensive driving is good as you agree. But acting predictably to other people is part of defensive driving.

As a motorcyclist who makes full use of the national limit and sticks to posted limits, there is a definite type of Sunday driver who seems to do 40 everywhere. I've lost count of the times I've passed a car on an open rural road, only to find them right up my arse 5 minutes later as I potter at a max of 30 through a village.

Funnily enough when I did my advanced police driver course I found they follow similar rules to my own - stick to posted limits and make progress in derestricted/nationals. The instructor observed that we had to go further and further afield to find national limit rural roads as so many councils have changed them to 50; we spent more time in mid-Wales than in our home county of Oxfordshire.

And the proliferation of the 50 seems to have had an impact, as so many drivers do seem to sit at 50 even in nationals. Unintended consequence, perhaps.

None of which answered the OP...

Sunday evening is usually full of weekend/holiday traffic heading back to the Leeds/Bradford area so there's no point in being aggressive and trying to overtake at every opportunity that would probably be a minute or two max in reduced journey time.

It still surprises me just how many A65 users can't seem to work out that the next caravan/micra with hat on rear shelf is only 500 yards up the road, and the whole exercise of overtaking is usually pointless. There are only about half a dozen decent overtaking spots between Kirkby Lonsdale and Skipton anyhow, so there's no way you're getting past a big queue.

Remember that these are speed limits not targets.

That took longer than normal.

there is a definite type of Sunday driver who seems to do 40 everywhere

Monospeeders. They need dragging out of their vehicles and beating to death with a rolled up copy of The Highway Code.

There's a section of my commute that goes 40 > 60 > 30 > 50 and pretty much daily I get the same thing: I catch up and overtake someone in the NSL section; then later they're right up my chuff as I'm doing 30 in the 30 section; then on the last long straight of the 30 before it goes back up to 50 they're looking to overtake me so that they can then do 10mph under the speed limit only in front of me.

I think a big part of it is that a lot of drivers have absolutely no idea what the NSL speed is.

makes it easier to make progress if everyone else is doing 40...
You're right: reducing the speed limit increases the capacity of the road, reducing congestion and allowing everyone to make better progress.

there is a definite type of Sunday driver who seems to do 40 everywhere
Monospeeders. They need dragging out of their vehicles and beating to death with a rolled up copy of The Highway Code.

This has happened near me. Nsl road droped to 50. During any remotely bussy time there is and always has been someone going ,45 but during off peak times the road is now significantly slower. Not a problem if you are going 10 min up the road but if you are on a long journey and every road has had this done it has a big effect on journey time.

Depressing reading, so many people happy to exceed an often already too high speed limit. Why do so many people feel entitled to complete lengthy journeys in short times? [Early coach travel was slow; in 1673, it took eight days to travel by coach from London to Exeter! ] The sooner all cars are driverless and keep to speed limits the better!

Monospeeders. They need dragging out of their vehicles and beating to death with a rolled up copy of The Highway Code.

Depressing reading, so many people happy to exceed an often already too high speed limit. Why do so many people feel entitled to complete lengthy journeys in short times?

Always thought is was a council\police matter based on the road, incidents and other stats.

Struggle to work out how it works though, nearby village to me has tried to extend the 30mph a couple of hundred yards out so it's past the sports field where the local kids football team play, been campaigning for years and council says no.

Another localish village has a school on a 40mph section and tried to get it reduced to 30 - also council says no.

Third village with no school got their 40 knocked down to 30 seemingly without trying. Either there are problems I don't know about or a councillor lives there.

Yep, we get the monospeeders as well as the special drivers who seem to think driving a foot behind you will make you speed up and ignore the signs too.

GPS controlled speed limiters in cars, a bit big brother but probably the only way to cure selfish driving 🙂

Early coach travel was slow; in 1673, it took eight days to travel by coach from London to Exeter!

Good point, we should go back to have a man with a red flag walk in front of cars, then we'd all be perfectly safe.

so many people happy to exceed an often already too high speed limit

Speed limits haven't increased since cars had zero safety features, drum brakes and crossply tyres all round. Speed limits on motorways should be increased if anything.

GPS controlled speed limiters in cars, a bit big brother but probably the only way to cure selfish driving

And there we go again, someone who's been brainwashed into thinking that only speeding = bad driving.

[quote=agent007 ]Speed limits haven't increased since cars had zero safety features, drum brakes and crossply tyres all round. Roads have also got busier, vehicles have got heavier, fuel has got more expensive, our knowledge of the environmental damage caused by burning hydrocarbons has improved and the protein robots in charge of driving them haven't been upgraded at all.

agent007 - Member
Speed limits haven't increased since cars had zero safety features, drum brakes and crossply tyres all round. Speed limits on motorways should be increased if anything...

Maybe that's because people haven't evolved past being squishy bags of blood and shit that break or cease functioning when struck with a car.

so many people happy to exceed an often already too high speed limit
Speed limits haven't increased since cars had zero safety features, drum brakes and crossply tyres all round. Speed limits on motorways should be increased if anything.

Too easy.

Few more cars about these days.

In reported road traffic accidents in 2014:

road deaths increased by 4% compared with 2013, rising to 1,775.

the number of people seriously injured increased by 5% to 22,807 in 2014.

there was a total of 194,477 casualties of all severities in reported road traffic accidents during 2014

so driving a little bit slower seems a small price to pay?

And there we go again, someone who's been brainwashed into thinking that only speeding = bad driving

Clearly by your own admission you are an especially gifted driver, but not everyone is - nobody I have seen has claimed that "only speeding =bad driving", there are many causes of bad driving, one of which is the very common occurrence of speeding(we could all list many others). To deny that increased speed contributes to increased risk on the roads, is not an option.

Some people on here need to read wind in the willows. 😉

Depressing reading, so many people happy to exceed an often already too high speed limit.

Or on the other hand speeding when the safe speed is higher than the limit. For example this 0.4 mile long motorway slip road.

So one way traffic, one lane, good sight lines, to the right is the motorway to the left a fenced off railway. There is nothing on this road except cars going the same direction and the same speed. So why the 30mph limit at the start rather than at the end of the slip road.

https://goo.gl/maps/WXCrgu6BQHP2

. So why the 30mph limit at the start rather than at the end of the slip road.

Threads like this make me want to give up cycling and driving because I really don't want to be on the roads with some of you.

Not patient enough, eh?

That slip road - easy peasy - its to make sure the cars get down to 30 mph by the end and there is (If its the junction I am thinking of) often queuing traffic. tight junction at the end as well Maybe could be a bit further down but not a lot.

Not patient enough, eh?

Plenty patient enough. Also happy to see speed limits coming down.

That slip road - easy peasy - its to make sure the cars get down to 30 mph by the end and there is (If its the junction I am thinking of) often queuing traffic. tight junction at the end as well Maybe could be a bit further down but not a lot.

Nope the slip is 700m long. There are plenty examples of far shorter slip roads on the M8 without any accident history. That slip is off a 50mph section. There is no need to slow 50mph traffic down to 30mph 500m from the junction. At Easterhouse traffic exits from 70mph onto a far shorter slip road followed by a tight radius curve. No accident history.

That 30mph sign could easily be 400m further along the slip road without any danger.

There is a lot of guidance on suitable speed limits in the DMRB related to road layout, features, stopping site distance etc.

It even goes in to detail regarding the number of properties adjacent to sections of road. This isn't always the final determining factor and you will find highway authorities playing it safe where local residents are vocal and siting of limits is broadly justified.

Hard to tell regarding specific cases but you might find there is significant accident history which, despite other road conditions being similar, suggested behaviour is different and requires lower limits.

OP could start by asking council for the reasons why the limit was reduced, officer decision report, etc

We have a hill with a round about at the bottom here that has gradually reduced the speed limit to 30 and people still over shoot and launch off a wall into a field or destroy the pedestrian crossing. People are idiots that's generally why they get reduced. Previous are I lived in went from 60 everywhere to 50 and 40 in places after about a dozen Road captains did somersaults into field through brick walls and one half way up a tree. All in the space of a month.

All because they were

try and not use your brakes between the start and finish of the journey

Makes for some great moments on roundabouts

🙂

Not quite enough angst, nowhere near enough pages and I've been sick twice eating 3 family Christmas tins of biscuits.

All because they arrive at junctions and tight turns at 60+ because that's the limit and you must do the limit +10% to make progress even on dark wet roads with sharp blind bends.

Not quite enough angst, nowhere near enough pages and I've been sick twice eating 3 family Christmas tins of biscuits.

None of the trolls have got a bite yet IMO. Someone needs to take this thread but the scruff of the neck.

And there we go again, someone who's been brainwashed into thinking that only speeding = bad driving

You are the Stig and I claim my £5.

And there we go again, someone who's been brainwashed into thinking that only speeding = bad driving.

That's cos it's bad driving mate.
Trying to justify speeding = spouting nonsense.

That's cos it's bad driving mate.
Trying to justify speeding = spouting nonsense.

Really, can you please explain how doing 100mph on a very quiet motorway in good dry, clear conditions, in a well maintained modern car (with in my case a maximum speed of 180mph) is bad driving?

Equally are you able to grasp the concept that even driving at 20mph (below the 30mph limit) might not be a good idea outside a school at closing time or down a road with busy bars on late at night?

Really, can you please explain how doing 100mph on a very quiet motorway in good dry, clear conditions, in a well maintained modern car (with in my case a maximum speed of 180mph) is bad driving?

Because the Highway Code and laws of the land say so. Don't like it, move to Germany....

Edit: or take your chances, highly unlikely you'll ever see traffic police. Just don't complain if you do.

Birdstrikes are worse at 100mph than at 70mph, so are blow outs and other similar failures. Motorways are not sterile environments so there's always the chance of something unexpected.

Plus there's the pollution, inefficiency, excess consumption arguments.

Speed justification is always narrowed down to the simplest factor when they are asked why they choose to do it. Ultimately though, it's just because they want to and don't really care about any impact.

speeding can be fun and in appropriate places will not add significantly to danger. However those appropriate places get fewer and few as urban areas extend and traffic gets heavier

also speeding does not significantly reduce journey times. You spend such a small part of your journey at speed that it makes little difference unless you have deserted roads for many miles.

Even in my bad old days of hooning around on fast bikes I was very selective in when and where I would break the speed limits. Never in 30 and 40 limits, only on dry clear roads.

Here for example - long straight road with no side turnings. good surface, good visibility. Only when traffic is low of course ( edit - talking about doing 70 - 80 not 120 honest
https://goo.gl/maps/GeHL9k9f3zP2

I can only assume that people who continually push for lower speed limits in non-urban environments either don't drive or don't drive very far/often.

I'm certainly glad that when I was doing +40k miles pa that the only speed camera's were the ones held by policemen, and that pretty much any road in the country was a NSL.

And folk going slow on fast roads does my head in too, but at least I know how to overtake (and that doesn't include waiting in turn Mol :D).

[i]Because the Highway Code and laws of the land say so. Don't like it, move to Germany....[/I]

You do know that most autobahns are NOT unrestricted don't you?

100mph on motorways - nope nope nope. ~too unpredictable what will happen braking and reaction distances are greatly increased