[Closed] People overtaking in 30 zones

Not to the people who drive/ride even slower lol

Driving home yesterday and in a 20 zone outside a school 2 cars had crashed one ended up on the pavement with a crumpled left side and the other on its roof on the other pavement. Amazing how modern cars can handle it and can get away with speeding.

I do wonder where these people are going that means they have to get there as quickly as possible. I drive a 1965 Beetle so going fast isn't really an option. The amount of people who seem to think that sitting on my back bumper will magically make my car faster is amazing. I see nothing wrong with going at 55mph on a 60 limit road. It's a limit, not a target.

[quote=anagallis_arvensis ]Thing is tail gating must work or people wouldnt do it. I slow down but most people must speed up or jump out of the way or something otherwise people wouldnt do it.

You appear to be assuming there is some logic behind it.

Somebody I know did the slowing down thing when being tailgated (I will also slow down in such circumstances, it's the safest thing to do, I couldn't care less what the driver behind thinks of it), the driver behind kept tailgating ever closer, they kept slowing down until they were stationary with the car behind so close that it couldn't pull out to overtake without reversing 🙂

"I overtake them in the 60, and then by the end of the 30 they are up my chuff!"

Sounds like you might as well have not bothered overtaking, then...

On my motorbike its quite fun to sit at 30 right up to the point where it goes up to 60 and wait for the tailgatting **** in the people carrier (its always a people carrier) to pull out and over take and then open the throttle and disappear into the sunset.

A diesel is a fer better weapon for flooring is as you leave the 30 zone with a tailgater tight behind - no need to wait for them to pull out for full effect.

martinhutch - Member

Without getting squarely into the speed/safety relationship, I do find it pretty shocking when someone is sufficiently put out about you obeying a 30 through a built-up area, or a 20 outside a school, that they are prepared to overtake.

Aye, I drive past one of the big local schools at lunchtime quite often, everyone wants to do 40mph through the 20 limit. I sit bang on 20, slower if the kids are spilling onto the road which they often are, most days I'll have horns and flashing lights behind me, fannies.

THere's also the "must overtake cyclist" thing if you're on a bike, our campus is 15mph limit and most people respect that most of the time, but if there's a bike in front even if it's doing 15, lots of people want to overtake. Then their cars make horrendous noises over the speedbumps. Same through my village, it's all 20.

There's a lot of open 30mph zones near me, I'll pass the old grannies with slow reactions driving at 26 mph no qualms. They shouldn't even be driving if they don't trust themselves at 30mph or are unable to look round a roundabout to see what's coming before coming to a dead stop

Why would someone be driving driving on your tailgate if they aren't trying to get past you?

I used to find it was boy racer or BMW types up my backside, but over the last 5 years or so I've found it's (and I'll probably get a hammering for being sexist here) more often women. They don't try to overtake, they just drive right up to your bumper. 'They' = some, not all.

The overtakers at 30 though on my current commute are Jags, Mercs, Range Rovers, etc. Go storming past at 50 in a 30 through quaint posh villages I drive through. Probably then turn off into their big estate up the road.

Though I'm getting fed up of massive stretches of 30mph out in the country on unlit roads in Oxfordshire/Berkshire just because someone's posh house is along that road, when in Surrey (loads of Posh places) you get 50 and 40 zones along country roads with big houses lining them, then 30 only where you're really into a street lit village/town.

I see nothing wrong with going at 55mph on a 60 limit road. It's a limit, not a target.

Theres absolutely NO need to overtake in a 30.

I haven't had this happen to me for ages - but then, this morning on a bit of road that has recently been changed from NSL to 40, I was doing bang on 40 & this bloke decided he was going to overtake.

Thing is he'd sat behind for well over half the stretch of road where the 40 limit exists, and it was only on the approach to the 30 limit into the next village that he overtook. It was a really leisurely overtake so he was virtually on the 30 sign before he pulled back in.

He then bombed through the village, but then within abut 1/2 mile of entering the next stretch of NSL I had caught him up, as he was doing a leisurely 50mph.....

[i]Why would someone be driving driving on your tailgate if they aren't trying to get past you?[/i]

... and you know there are double white lines along the next half-mile of twisty road, right up to the roundabout? There is a point of view that says both of you are a little safer if you check they're awake and concentrating.

... or I don't need to risk a whiplash injury, thanks.

If its not safe to get past I drop right back. Beit in a 30 or a NSL. No point causing a distraction to the driver infront of you.

But as has been discussed on here many times, the speed should be suitable for the conditions and you would be failed in a driving test for driving at 55mph in a 60 zone *if the speed wasn't appropriate for the circumstances*.

I'd like to hear a driving examiner's take on that one.

There is certainly a section for "Progress" on [url= https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405673/dl25-driving-test-report-form.pdf ]the marking sheet[/url], which includes "appropriate speed" and "undue hesitation".

But I don't know if 55 in a 60 would qualify as a Serious or Dangerous fault.

Incidentally, according to the gov [url= https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/355394/Miscellaneous_information_-_Car_tests_06-14.pdf ]the top 10 reasons for failing in 2013/14[/url] were:

• Junctions (observation)
• Use of mirrors – (change direction)
• Control (steering)
• Junctions (turning right)
• Response to signals (traffic lights)
• Move off (safety)
• Move off (control)
• Positioning (normal driving)
• Reverse park (control)
• Response to signals (road markings)

(Pass rate was 47.1%)

When I'm flouncing around in the MX5 I like to stick to the limits (as I said before). If there's a car in front I always leave a big enough gap for someone to overtake me, on their way to overtaking them.

I ain't the speed police, man!

hora - Member

Theres absolutely NO need to overtake in a 30.

Except in traffic when you have the right number of wheels 😉

There`s nothing better than giving a withering look to some BE who overtook you aggressively only to find you catch him/her up at the next set of lights.

There`s nothing better than giving a withering look to some BE who overtook you aggressively only to find you catch him/her up at the next set of lights.

Sadly the withering look IME makes no difference, they remain stupid...

Sadly the withering look IME makes no difference, they remain stupid...

A diesel is a fer better weapon for flooring is as you leave the 30 zone

A two stroke motorbike trumps all cars in that situation, simultaenously pebbledashing someone who's been tailgating you with unburnt oil and eveloping them in a cloud of smoke is one of life's small pleasures.

konabunny - Member

"I overtake them in the 60, and then by the end of the 30 they are up my chuff!"

Sounds like you might as well have not bothered overtaking, then...

Hindsight is wonderfull 😕

On my speed awareness course the instructor advocated pulling over when you're being tailgated and just let the idiot be on their way. takes away the conflict and a lot less stressful for you.
I've done it a few times and can recommend it... it makes life a lot easier. Why prolong the stress?

Thing is tail gating must work or people wouldnt do it.

The answer to these questions is the same thing. Tailgating because you want to go faster than the vehicle in front is bullying, pure and simple.

Why don't I just pull over? Because the last time I was bullied was aged 15 and I'm ****ed if I'm going to start again at 43. Rolling over for these idiots just enables their aggressive behaviour, they're driving dangerously and you're rewarding them for it. Then they go on to do it to the car in front, which is someone vulnerable or less experienced who ends up crashing or earning a speeding ticket in a panic. "tail gating must work or people wouldnt do it" - so by that argument, if tailgating didn't work, people wouldn't do it? There we go.

When I'm tailgated, generally I'll just take my foot off the accelerator for a few seconds then drive back up to the limit, creating braking space behind me. If they close the gap, rinse and repeat. Works well. It's especially effective on vans and lorries, usually the worst offenders IME anyway, as it takes them a while to catch you back up.

Most of the time when I see the "repmobile" types tailgating, it's as a third party observer as they come slamming down the outside lane of a motorway to encounter some gimp doing 60 in the third lane. If you find you're being tailgated a lot on multi-lane carriageways it might be worth checking your lane discipline.

@ weatheredwannabe - chapeau sir, that gave me genuine lol.

STW is truly a unique niche in society because I have NEVER EVER been sat in the passenger seat of a car, or out with mates on bikes where the speed limit has been adhered to at all times.

As a matter of interest, do any of the STW'ers ever get a taxi and berate the driver for tailgating or exceeding the speed limit? It is quite rare to get one who doesn't IME.

[quote=Woody ]STW is truly a unique niche in society because I have NEVER been sat in the passenger seat of a car, or out with mates on bikes where the speed limit has been adhered to at all times.

I think a lot of us admit to not adhering to the limit at all times - like many others I've been caught speeding in higher speed limits. Maybe it says more about your mates than it does about us though if they never obey the speed limits in town.

Maybe it says more about your mates than it does about is though if they never obey the speed limits in town.

Yes it probably does.......they are fairly normal people! If you are going to be assume things about my mates, please read what I said and more importantly didn't say. I made no mention of 'town' or 'never'.

Well it's hard to tell when you're contrasting them with us lot, and we're just saying that we don't speed in 30 limits, which is after all what this thread is about. If your mates do also always stick to 30 limits I suggest you find a thread where everybody is being sanctimonious about obeying other speed limits. Of course if you're going to point out specifics of your wording, did you notice my "if" - I'm assuming just as much as you're telling us, and wasn't quite clear what sort of speeding you were referring to.

Maybe you could clarify whether you were referring to speeding in 30 limits, or whether your mates do always obey those?

As a matter of interest, do any of the STW'ers ever get a taxi and berate the driver for tailgating or exceeding the speed limit? It is quite rare to get one who doesn't IME.

I almost reported one once who was watching TV on a smartphone balanced over the instrument cluster. I regret not doing so.

As a matter of interest, do any of the STW'ers ever get a taxi and berate the driver for tailgating or exceeding the speed limit? It is quite rare to get one who doesn't IME.

I was in an Addison Lee cab once and explained quite politely that the reason the cyclist was shouting and swearing at him was because he'd just pulled a u-turn right in front of him and damn nearly sent him flying across the road.

The driver wasn't stroppy or petulant in his response (none of this 'bloody cyclists' stuff) - he just didn't understand why it was a problem. I got the impression that he was, to be frank, just too stupid to make the right judgement call in that situation...

I don't believe that the average human being is too thick to drive carefully, you can easily train people to do more challenging things. We all know human beings are fallible and emotional so we need to adapt the training and testing regime accordingly. ie: much more rigorous and much more focus about safety. More lessons to begin with, more challenging scenarios, motorway driving, harder test, repeat tests - why not every 2 years at the motorist's expense? Nice job creation scheme for driving instructors 🙂

The few months after an election are usually a good time to introduce unpopular but necessary policies...

[quote=brooess ]We all know human beings are fallible and emotional so we need to adapt the training and testing regime accordingly. ie: much more rigorous and much more focus about safety.

The issue is that mainly it's a test of the skill required to operate the machinery, not the skill required to interact safely with other road users.

Maybe you could clarify whether you were referring to speeding in 30 limits, or whether your mates do always obey those?

Read what I wrote rather than looking for an argument and it's going OT anyway 🙄

FWIW I tend to ignore tailgaters unless they are really close, in which case Cougars method works quite well. There really isn't much point in overtaking (and never any excuse for tail-gaiting) on most non-motorway roads these days, in a car anyway, and I can't fathom out the mentality of people who do it!

Edit : I agree with that brooess. Compulsory re-test every 5 years at least and if you fail you must drive with a suitable 'plate' warning others road users you can drive but aren't very good, until you test again and pass. Double failure would mean starting again at basic level. Too many complications re jobs etc if you stopped people driving immediately. I'm tested every 5 years and would lose my job if I didn't come up to scratch.

There really isn't much point in overtaking (and never any excuse for tail-gaiting) on most non-motorway roads these days, in a car anyway, and I can't fathom out the mentality of people who do it!

I do it (the overtaking thing not the tailgating bit) for the simple reason that i like to travel at the speed limit if possible.

Obvious exception to this is poor visibility, crap weather etc etc....but if the roads are dry, visibility is good and ambient temps are above freeing then i cant fathom why anybody wouldnt want to drive at the posted limits?!

Driving is boring and i've got better things to do than waste my life sitting in my car, if the limit is 50 (and weather conditions allow) then i'd like to do 50 please....not sit behind somebody who is happy doing 35-40 all the way along said road....or the people that dont understand the national speed limit signs for single carriageway roads and continue to do 40....its 60 you pillock, for the love of god please speed up!

Having ridden motorbikes for years it is amazing just how much shorter a journey can be if you travel at the speed limit....no law breaking involved, no speeding necessary....just pull onto roundabouts when you see a gap rather than dithering, hold your speed as you approach traffic lights...i just dont understand the drivers who slow as they approach green lights...WTF?!?!...are they wanting them to turn red?!?!....is home life so crap for these people that they dont want to get home?!?!....if the light is green continue at your current speed please...etc etc....you could take so much congestion off the roads and so much time off the usual commute if people just drove properly.

....add to the rant the drivers who seem to forget the roundabout code on arriving at a mini roundabout with other car drivers....there seems to be some kind of weird standoff in that situation with nobody prepared to move first....again WTF??!!

There really isn't much point in overtaking (and never any excuse for tail-gaiting) on most non-motorway roads these days, in a car anyway, and I can't fathom out the mentality of people who do it!

Depends on the relative speed really. It the car in front is doing 29 in a 30 then of course there's no point. On a clear road with a 60mph limit where people often do 30-40 (my best guess is most people who do this have no clue what the NSL on a single carriageway actually is), there's little reason not to.

Overtaking cars doing 40 or even 50 is worth it on an open road in the real countryside is worth it. Down in the congested speed limited South East it's not though 🙂

That's true Cougar, if something is going [b]very[/b] slowly and it really does depend on the road/length of journey.

The futility of trying to 'make progress' on certain roads really hit home after I first towed a caravan to The Lakes. It only took me 10 minutes longer to do the 70 odd miles chugging along with the van than it did when overtaking where possible with the car alone and most of that time difference was made on the motorway section.

@ weatheredwannabe - chapeau sir, that gave me genuine lol.

Absolutely agree, Woody, made me laugh too. I can't believe that on a forum of, supposedly, free spirited MTBers we have such sanctimonious attitudes to just about every post.

I can't believe that on a forum of, supposedly, free spirited MTBers we have such sanctimonious attitudes to just about every post.

I suspect it reflects the fact that many of us are a bit older and have young kids, plus many of us also ride on the road and directly suffer the consequences of bad driving.

FWIW there is nothing particularly [i]"free spirited"[/i] about driving like an idiot through a residential area or tailgating people because they won't break the speed limit.

A "free spirit" doesn't endanger the lives of other people for their own amusement; a bellend does.

I do it (the overtaking thing not the tailgating bit) for the simple reason that i like to travel at the speed limit if possible.

[quote=Woody ]Read what I wrote rather than looking for an argument and it's going OT anyway

I have, and you haven't clarified, so if I assume you were talking about in speed limits other than 30 (and that they don't speed in 30 limits), your first post on this is where it went OT - and written in a manner designed to start an argument.

The main reasons i overtake people, in order, are:

1. I get frustrated sitting behind another car even if I'd be going at the same speed as them.
2. Driving the van i like to maintain speed and stay in one gear where possible, some grannies are on their brakes more often than they tell folk their age.
3. Get where I'm going quicker.
4. It's fun.

I bet there's a lot of people with similar thoughts.

Round here and a lot of the places I drive the roads are often clear enough that you gain a bit overtaking somebody doing 50, though as others have suggested I also find it less frustrating not to be sitting behind somebody going that fast. Not that I'll be all that bothered with somebody doing 50, and almost certainly wouldn't bother overtaking somebody doing 55 as suggested above.

glasgowdan: 2 & 3, I can kinda understand but I can't say I feel frustrated if I'm behind another car that's driving at the speed I would. That's fine by me, it's another set of eyes 100 metres further up the road that can give me advance warning of trouble.

And 4? Overtaking is fun? Nope, don't get that one at all.

Can you not just rig up some kind of l.e.d. sign in the back window that you can have pre-set messages that pop up just by hitting the number to suit.

'Three choices - continue tailgating,keep a safer distance,or overtake me. One of them is a really good option'

And 4? Overtaking is fun? Nope, don't get that one at all.

I get frustrated by my inadequacies during the day, both anticipating them during the morning commute, and mulling over them on the way home. Overtaking makes me feel a little better about them because it's like we're in a race, though I care little for whether you're racing or not. My day has been dull and the roads are my race track - I need to make progress and hey, we might both be at the back of the same queue but I'm one in front of you. Might make all the difference as the lights turn amber and I make it through and you don't. 🙂

i just dont understand the drivers who slow as they approach green lights

Ah. Sometimes I do this. Traffic lights sometimes mean tricky junctions, and sometimes people do stupid stuff at junctions. If it's tricky I want time to be sure that some dick isn't going to come through on red and kill me. I don't brake hard, usually if it's a 60 or 50 I lift off and cover the brakes just in case. It's not that likely, for sure, but the stakes are high and it probably doesn't even cost me two seconds.

Doesn't "green" mean "be prepared to stop"?

Not for me. It means pray to the God of green lights (it's a simple prayer; one line, repeated over and over: "stay green") and amber means "speed up". I have progress to be making.

Ah. Sometimes I do this

Me too, for the same reasons.

I'm also one of those annoying people mentioned above that slows down at roundabouts and give ways even when I can see it is clear. That article on saccadic masking started me doing this. (It's amazing how many videos there are of cyclists being hit or close-missed by drivers approaching "clear" roundabouts and junctions). Plus you can't rely on others following the rules, and many roundabouts are effectively big blind corners.

There's a difference between "being prepared to stop" and "halve your speed going through the lights just in case." I'll lift and cover for a moment too if it looks to be a bad junction with poor visibility (and will be [i]very[/i] cautious if the lights have just changed), but I won't have been dragging the middle pedal for half a mile beforehand.

I'm also one of those annoying people mentioned above that slows down at roundabouts and give ways even when I can see it is clear.

Slow down, sure. Come to a dead stop and only then start looking round, it's time to consider a bus pass.

You give way even when you can see it's clear?!....Jesus wept.

You give way even when you can see it's clear?!....Jesus wept.

I reckon he meant coming to a junction with a "Yield" warning triangle or some such.

Some of you should go on a speed awareness course (and I'm sure some have or will have had an invite to one 😉 ). Not so much the parts purely about speed, but the awareness of risks parts.

The green light one is an example. Aside for the lights changing quick on you, especially if you're a way behind and trying to belt through quick, you've got dangers of oncoming traffic on green and turning who decide to turn not expecting you to be going so fast, pedestrians who try to risk it crossing, emergency vehicles who can go through on red, bikes shooting through on red 😉

Roundabouts that are definitely clear and you can see plenty of distance for potential risks, sure I may not entirely stop but I'm slowed and prepared to stop and I won't belt through as there are many who will. I've been caught out often by idiots who aren't looking or think they are invulnerable so belt through them even when something's coming thinking they'll get away with it.

Loads of risks about from people who may not be behaving legally or following the highway code, but I'd rather not kill someone or myself if it's a risk I can avoid.

You give way even when you can see it's clear?!....Jesus wept.

I slow down so I can check the road properly as I understand that the effect of [url= http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/ ]Saccadic Masking[/url] means that a quick look left and right as you approach can leave you completely convinced that a junction is clear when it isn't. Especially if the traffic isn't car shaped. It's probably the main reason for SMIDSYs.

Worth a read:

SLOBC.ORG "http://www.slobc.org/safety/documents/road-survival-guide.pdf"

It doesn't bother me when someone "gets stuck" behind me when I'm driving on the speed limits in 30s, 40s and 50s. At least I've slowed them down and potentially saved a life or two. Sanctimonious? Possibly, but I couldn't give a sh1t nowadays. I'll never wind people up by driving under the limit unless circumstances forced it, but I won't let some d-head force me to go beyond legal safe limits. Outside of our motorised tin boxes, these people must surely respect where most people live, their kids, pets, etc. But inside their motors, they're a different breed.

I'd like to hear a driving examiner's take on that one.

Our Examiners round here wouldn't fail a candidate for 55 in a 60 they would, at worst, give them a minor.

50 in a 60, for a distance could fail them. A lot of it depends if the candidate sees a repeater sign then speeds up or if they sit a 50 in a 60 with a massive queue behind them.......

50 in a 60, for a distance could fail them.

That's interesting simmy. 50mph in a 60 is not that slow and I wouldn't have thought constituted anything which could be classed as bad or poor driving. I was teaching someone to drive who had been with BSM and they were doing 60mph on an NSL road at a point where I felt it wasn't appropriate, especially given their lack of experience and was told that was what they had to do! Can't understand the logic behind it as it is, after all, the maximum speed allowed for good conditions etc.

Seems people are taught how to pass the test rather than how to drive properly?

50mph in a 60 is not that slow

+1

Almost seems like a collective hysteria about driving to the maximum allowable has taken over the testing system. You can't be responsible for the safety issues caused by people behind you who get frustrated because they're not doing 60 in an NSL.

I'm perfectly content to sit behind someone doing 50 on the NSL parts of the A65. I might overtake them if it's a clear and easy spot, but chances are I'll catch up behind someone doing 40 pretty soon anyhow.

Seems people are taught how to pass the test rather than how to drive properly?

Think they are and that can be part of the problem - speed limits seen as targets.

My instructor used to encourage me to get a move on coming back from the test town I practised in - the A4 was nice and wide with next to no traffic during the day then - but equally would let me know if I was trying a bit hard where it wasn't appropriate.

Seems people are taught how to pass the test rather than how to drive properly?

Absolutely.

I teach as much as I can about real world driving, take students to different areas to get experience of different road layouts etc, but the test is only 38-40 mins long so how can that be " driving for life "

Some test routes around here don't go above 30 mph and to get a student upto 70 mph before test I would have to travel 20 miles though 2 towns to get to a location that allows that legally.

On the other hand there is a 40 mph road right near the test centre that is really bendy and narrow and the examiners actually prefer the candidates to do 30 than 40 on that section.

Woody - Member

There really isn't much point in overtaking (and never any excuse for tail-gaiting) on most non-motorway roads these days, in a car anyway, and I can't fathom out the mentality of people who do it!

It is very simple.
The main reason we drive cars is because it is quicker to get from A to B than walking.
Overtaking slower traffic allows one to drive faster and arrive quicker, the whole point of the exercise. 🙂

Seems people are taught how to pass the test rather than how to drive properly?

It's an interesting attitude.
If everyone drove the way I was taught (YMMV) there wouldn't be any accidents*.
I think the above sentiment is normally used as justification for lazy, shit driving.

*Though there may still be speeding fines. 😆

Overtaking slower traffic allows one to drive faster and arrive quicker

Alternatively, it allows you to drive faster for half a mile until you reach the back of the next queue of slower-moving vehicles.

There are some roads (or some times of day) that make overtaking worthwhile, but mostly, around here, it gains you nothing or virtually nothing.

It does give me something to point out to the kids when you can see that the guy who has been stressing himself out over the last 10 miles tailgating and overtaking multiple cars (again, on the A65), is still in sight less than a minute ahead.

Overtaking slower traffic allows one to drive faster and arrive quicker, the whole point of the exercise

The whole point isn't to arrive as quickly as possible, it's to arrive quickly enough and as safely as possible.

The answer to these questions is the same thing. Tailgating because you want to go faster than the vehicle in front is bullying, pure and simple.

Tailgating really fkn annoys me. Not so much when its done to me - 4th gear and a prod of the accelerator will see the back of most tailgaters but when I see drivers bullying other road users.

My brother used to drive a ridiculously fast and loud Mitsubishi Evo, he told me he use to bully the bullies. If he saw someone tailgating and deemed it was bullying - for example a Nissan Micra legitimately overtaking slower traffic at the speed limit being tailgated by some knob in a 320d - he'd tailgate the tailgater. Most of them got out of the way pretty quickly, especially if his anti lag was on!

This behaviour is neither big nor clever but I can't say I disapproved all that much.

molgrips - Member

The whole point isn't to arrive as quickly as possible, it's to arrive quickly enough and as safely as possible.

You appear to have missed the bit where I said

"The [b]main[/b] reason we drive cars is because it is quicker to get from A to B than walking."

I can see how you may have been misled by the latter half of my post, but I'm sure you'll agree with the above. 🙂

Overtaking certainly can get you where you need to go more quickly, at least where I live in rural Derbyshire it does. Maybe not so much in an area that's more suburban and speed limits vary regularly but, for example, a friend and I set off at the same time from Ladybower to head back to Matlock on Saturday. I overtook a handful of cars on my way home and got back an entire fifteen minutes earlier because he ended up behind so many people doing 40, or regularly 30, in a 60. Enough time for me to dismantle a bike, my mate to shower and us reload the car to get him to the train station in time.

I obeyed the speed limit the majority of the way- I'm not too down with speeding and the main discussion of overtaking in a 30 is clearly a bad thing. People do it through our village. The speed limit on the A road through our village should probably be a 40, but is a 30- regardless, people tailgate and overtake their way through it and it's unfair on those of us who live there and are exposed to that sort of driving on a regular basis.

I can see how you may have been misled by the latter half of my post, but I'm sure you'll agree with the above

True, but you seem to be conflating overtaking in 30s with being quicker than walking.

If you don't overtake in a 30, it'll still be significantly quicker than walking over most distances.

Re being held up - it makes less difference than it feels like. If drive to Farnborough on a clear road I can do it in 2h15 normally. If I get stuck in motorway traffic jams and generally have a crap journey, it'll take 2h30. On country roads, if I drive to my parents' house and get stuck behind slow traffic the whole way and get stuck in traffic in Hereford, it'll turn a 90 min journey into a 100 min journey. Which really is not that significant.

molgrips - Member

True, but you seem to be conflating overtaking in 30s with being quicker than walking.

I hadn't mentioned overtaking in 30 zones, and my initial post was in reply to someone else who also wasn't talking about just 30 zones. 😕

Also, unless you walk really really quickly, or overtake at a speed slower than walking pace, then you can quite correctly conflate overtaking in 30s with being quicker than walking. 😕

Are you tired today molgrips? 😆

What's wrong with people just starting the journey 5-10 minutes earlier to allow for traffic? Is this the reason everyone's in such a rush to get everywhere?

Just because the satnav/Google maps/previous journeys at quiet times suggest you can do a journey in 50 minutes doesn't mean you are going to do it in 50 minutes. Plan for 60 and if you arrive early it's a bonus!

Tailgating really fkn annoys me.

I don't case so much about tailgaters, unless I have a bike in the boot - as it will be their fault if they hit me, it is the tw8ts that pull into the gap in front of you and chop your braking distance right down.

If they pulled into the front end of the gap, thereby threatening their braking distance rather than mine, that would be a lot better.

Then they can drop back slightly and so can I to accommodate them, whilst I forgive the fact that their shortsightedness/rudeness meant they didn't have time to pull into the huge gap behind me...

But they don't, it is almost like a punishment pass to a cyclist.

it is the tw8ts that pull into the gap in front of you and chop your braking distance right down.

Yep!

If you leave anything even remotely close to a proper two-second gap then someone will inevitably overtake and slot themselves into it, even if all they have achieved is moving up one place in a long train of traffic that is all moving at the same speed.

molgrips - Member

Re being held up - it makes less difference than it feels like.

especially when you consider that most* journeys are under 5miles, where the gains from speeding are even less (2 or 3 minutes at most).

(*67%)

milky1980 - Member

What's wrong with people just starting the journey 5-10 minutes earlier to allow for traffic?

Absolutely nothing.
People have the wrong attitude towards driving, and that's what we need to change in order to improve standards.

Best thing is to put the ETA time up on the satnav, and watch it not change much for all the effort you are putting in to making progress.

Just rely on the dual carriageway/mway sections to make progress, as it really isn't worth the stress compared to the amount of time you make up and possibly the risks you take (for yourself and other people).

Plus the extra fuel burnt on the overtakes, just save the fuel and put it towards another CD to play in the car...

urnerGuy - Member

Best thing is to put the ETA time up on the satnav, and watch it not change much for all the effort you are putting in to making progress.

Best thing is to keep your eyes on the road. 😉

Just rely on the dual carriageway/mway sections to make progress, as it really isn't worth the stress compared to the amount of time you make up and possibly the risks you take (for yourself and other people).

Plus the extra fuel burnt on the overtakes, just save the fuel and put it towards another CD to play in the car...

It is possible to overtake without inducing stress, and without taking risks. I'd recommend it.
It's also possible to overtake without changing speed, and without burning extra fuel.

It is possible to overtake without inducing stress, and without taking risks.

Yes, and we're not complaining about that. We're talking about people who are clearly highly stressed about being held up slightly, and then take risks.

This is a damaging attitude for the driver and everone else.

molgrips - Member

We're talking about people who are clearly highly stressed about being held up slightly, and then take risks.

...in a 30 zone.