Why not go the whole hog and just have a blanket 20mph speed limit on all roads.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18840110

Ho yes that be un-enforceable but it would allow cash cameras to be installed every 100 yards making the UK even more uncompetitive. We really know how to shot ourselves in the foot every time

How predictable, and how depressing on a cycling website.

Have you ever cycled on a twisting country lane on a road bike? Or ridden a horse? Or walked?

Some perspective is needed rather than a Daily Mail rantette. 🙄

Would never think that people think that driving on a country lane at 60mph might be stupid and that to suggest setting the limit at say 40mph, which on many lanes is still fast, is far more realistic.

Many lanes i have driven in Wales, Devon, Gloucestershire whilst legally 60mph, should never be driven at that sort of speed for a thousand different reasons.

This is a classic slow news day story. Stories about speed limits crop up every now and then but when was the last time you saw a major change?

There sort of already is a 40mph limit, anything over 3.5t should already be travelling at a max 40mph on any single carriageway. If they were then that would be the default pace for all traffic on busier routes. The A9 is the only road on the mainland where I see that observed, but I don’t know why that road and not others.
I wouldn’t have a problem with a limit like that on minor roads country roads, as opposed to trunk roads.

Ho yes that be un-enforceable

Only a small proportion of motorists require ‘enforcement’ most people are capable of policing themselves, and don’t require nannying.

A 40mph speed limit on rural roads will not make it safer for other road users, improving driving standards will, as will a justice system that reflects the true impact of causing death or injury by dangerous driving, dealing with people who drive whilst disqualified, drive unsafe cars, not having driving licence

And lets not forget road maintenance.

I suspect these will have a greater impact on safety

What defines a ‘country road’? An ‘A’ road outside of built-up urban regions? ‘B’ roads? ‘C’ roads?
I would hazard a guess at C-class roads, as most are relatively narrow and twisty, and 50mph is only possible on very short sections anyway. Here in North Wilts, 40 is a perfectly reasonable speed in most places.

A 40mph speed limit on rural roads will not make it safer for other road users, improving driving standards will, as will a justice system that reflects the true impact of causing death or injury by dangerous driving, dealing with people who drive whilst disqualified, drive unsafe cars, not having driving licence

And as most drivers are stupid, and need nannying, telling them that driving at 60mph on a lane is a stupid idea and that 40mph makes more sense seems like a good thing to me, remember that if they want to reduce the speed limit they have to use repeaters, have to ensure they are visible etc.

Yes education and training is good but doesn’t get round the cost of repeaters etc.

There has been a blanket 40mph limit inside Dartmoor National Park for years. There are some roads where you think “crikey, this feels slow” but overall I don’t think it has been a total disaster.

oh, and if you read the article, twisty roads, busy with horses, cyclists are the ones being considered i.e. lower class B and C roads, not major rural A roads.

remember that if they want to reduce the speed limit they have to use repeaters, have to ensure they are visible etc.

As I understand part of the proposals is that they won’t need repeaters, because of the prohibitive costs on country lanes.

@ian that basically is my point, even if a council want to set a lower limit for safety reasons they can’t because of the cost. And basically there are too many stupid drivers who think that just because the speed limit is 60 you have to drive at that speed

fwiw repeaters for the Dartmoor 40mph limit are mostly if not all painted on the road. Anyone know how that compares in cost to repeater signposts?

And basically there are too many stupid drivers who think that just because the speed limit is they can’t drive at 60 where it is appropriate, noone else should

Great idea. It would also reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

So zokes where is it appropriate to drive at 60mph?

Remember we are talking about twisty rural lanes not A roads? What is the stopping distance of your car? can you always stop in the distance you can see? Which is what the proposal as presented is stating.

If you want to race cars go have a track day, not difficult?

40mph on rural roads ? We actually voted out plans for a 30mph limit in our village as its small groups of houses over 2 miles and not built up enough .It would take ages to get anywhere .On the village green people slow down anyway ,most of the time comon sense is used .A 40 limit wouldnt slow people down if not enforced and there is a lack of police to do this .

Well, it’s still not 100% sure if painted signage fulfils the requirements of the Road Traffic regs (e.g. does paint on the road amount to “signage”?), but where carried out it does make it easier to comply with the maintainance requirements as you don’t need to worry about veg clearance of signs.

If you do paint the road surface you’ve got to be really accurate so the markings conform to the Traffic Signs Regs (a white circle with 30 in the middle isn’t enough) so they’re more expensive than signs anyway. Some authorities use paint a lot though, lancs and carmarthenshire IIRC.

So, ultimately its not a matter of cost; to be sure the limit is enforceable the signage has to be spot on, which basically means you need to physically install signs and then make sure they’re maintained during summer months. And a TRO of course saying “30 mph limit between X and Y”. And you’d still need back-lit signs whenever going from a NSL to restricted zone, so you may as well carry on and put signs up pregularly along the whole length

Unless of course the authority isn’t concerned with accurate signage and uses them to encourage drivers to generally slow down.

[/nerd]

There has been a blanket 40mph limit inside Dartmoor National Park for years. There are some roads where you think “crikey, this feels slow” but overall I don’t think it has been a total disaster.

And also totally ignored by everyone but the tourists.

In three years of commuting over the moors every day I have never seen a police car.

Pointless change unless they are planning on enforcing it. Which they won’t.

A country lane near me has been re-classified from a 60mph to a 40mph, reason is a lot of people went straight at the chicane, or straight lined it causing their car or another car to crash through the hedge into a field.

Most people driving the lane went at about 40mph anyways, now with the re-classification of 40mph most people don’t go above 30mph now. I can see some dangerous overtaking happening now, but at least people won’t go through a hedge into a field doing 50-70mph.

It’s now quicker to go through the town stopping every 50 metres for traffic lights and roundabouts.

I don’t see the point in reducing the speed of all 60mph roads, but can understand it if there have been previous incidents.

I’m not a tourist jam bo 😀

Very patchy policing of country roads with a 60 limit too, why bother having a limit at all then?

OP how much time would this measure actually lose you?

Are you important?

He could be business core. They’ll be exempt from the proposals.

This thread does go some way towards explaining STW’s fixation with Skodas

Great idea. A much more sensible blanket speed than 60mph for the roads round here.

We drive everywhere on ‘country’ roads – to slow me to 40mph would make long, tortuous journey’s around Scotland even more so.
I regularly do 60mph these roads. I resent strongly someone telling me not to – I know the road, drive responsibly, but do need to ‘get from A-B’ in a reasonable time.
So would (for example) Rannoch Moor be classed as a country road? Clearly I think most would agree that this is a good spot to get past the tootling Skoda driving 40mph tourists and allow me to get on to my place of work tomorrow?

A ‘blanket’ rule will never be the right approach.

i cannot cycle that fast! 🙁

That must be an 80mph + road at least, straight good visibility ,no traffic ,no police.

How about mandatory re-testing to improve and maintain the standard of driving?

Probably going to be far more effective than lowering some arbitrary numbers…

And as for the stopping distance of my car, I can confirm that it will be considerably shorter than when 60mph was first considered safe

Blinking ridiculous you can’t just say 40mph for all country roads, most of the idiots locally drive 40mph on roads which are easily 60mph because they are incompetent and should not be allowed to drive. Improving standards of driving would be a better start along with re testing for grey hair beware.

So would (for example) Rannoch Moor be classed as a country road?

No.

“Under the plans, which are open to public consultation, a reduction to 40mph should also be considered where there is “substantial development” or where there are “a considerable number” of horse-riders, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists”.”

At least have a wee read of the proposal before getting all affronted.

Edric 64 – Member

That must be an 80mph + road at least, straight good visibility ,no traffic ,no police.

120 mph easy.

Matt – its not a proposal for that sort of road at all – its for roads like the south loch earn road ie b and unclassified roads – not A roads

“a considerable number” of horse-riders, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists”.”

Oh well, as long as a main LEJOG route and NCR and other tourists on foot, horse and bike doesn’t cross or follow the Rannoch Moor road, it won’t be an excuse to make it a 40mph route. Oh, hang on… 🙄

I really thought the New Zealand way of speed limits on its tight country roads was fantastic. They put speed limits before bends that reflect their difficulty.

I am with the comments above about it being driving standards, not some ‘blanket’ rule. We need people to drive with more awareness and consideration. The number of times here we follow a driver doing 40mph on that main road, even pulling over to stop you overtaking, but then they continue at that 40mph through all the (30mph) villages…

I regularly do 60mph these roads. I resent strongly someone telling me not to – I know the road, drive responsibly, but do need to ‘get from A-B’ in a reasonable time

The problem is, how to sort you out from the people who don’t know the road and don’t drive responsibly.

ian martin – Member

I really thought the New Zealand way of speed limits on its tight country roads was fantastic. They put speed limits before bends that reflect their difficulty.

No – you misunderstand – that is the target speed in MPH when you are on a motorbike

The problem is, how to sort you out from the people who don’t know the road and don’t drive responsibly.

Improve the standard of driving

Simples

Yep, more testing through your driving career. Maybe once a decade, then every 5 years after 60?
I have passed 5 driving tests, and regularly sign off staff for driving minibuses on rural roads and towing trailers; or preparing them for D1 and D1+E tests. The toughest/ worst drivers are the older staff that come in ‘knowing’ how to drive.