National speed limit zones disappearing fast!

National speed limit zones disappearing fast!

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Discussion

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

248 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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A road near me changed from an NSL to being split between a 30 and 40 limit in the last year. Now, people drive on it at anywhere between 30 and 75, depending on what they're used to doing on that road.

The limit on that road seems largely irrelevant these days and the 30 limit is disregarded by nearly everyone. The few that don't often have multiple cars following closely behind.

Snollygoster

1,538 posts

139 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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r11co said:
This is 15 years old now, but it explains the above phenomenon perfectly:

Height Kills.
Good read.

The sad part is you read it, and think Councillor Prescott is probably the guy at my local council.

Otispunkmeyer

12,580 posts

155 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Yep

A lot are now 50. Some are even 40 and far too slow considering the roads are wide and there are no real hard turns.

On 50 mph road has just had a rather nasty head on. Quite how this was managed on a straight, wide single carriage way with not a lot of traffic is unknown. I'd like to think attention was not being paid by the driver, but almost certainly the wailers will put it down to speed and that road will become 40 as well. Not sure that matters much when you hit a HGV head on.

Anyway, regardless of which roads are now 50 or 40 it simply doesn't matter because invariably you'll come across a large train of cars held up behind some holier than thou doing 40 everywhere.

And, increasingly I am noticing there are people who will do the posted limit, but they'll take their sweet time actually getting there. Been stuck behind a few now who, after exiting a round-a-bout or a junction then take the next 5 minutes actually getting up to speed. This is equally infuriating.


Debaser

5,774 posts

261 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Big deal. It just means exceeding the limit by a greater margin.

XJ Flyer

5,526 posts

130 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Debaser said:
Big deal. It just means exceeding the limit by a greater margin.
Which potentially means higher penalties which is the main aim of the policy.IE slow down to an unrealistic speed for the design of the road or face more draconian penalties than before.

boxedin

1,353 posts

126 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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simo1863 said:
same in the North West. A535 Cheshire East has recently had an overhaul with three 30MPH zones and all the NSL zones seem to now be 40 and 50s.

Granted one of the 30 zones is for a School (Terra Nova) but it's set way back from the road and isn't the sort of school where you have children anywhere near the road (usually being picked up in a Q7).
To my thinking its more for the side road at the bottom of the dip, which heads off to Jodrell. There seems to be more traffic heading up that road recently.

Martin4x4

6,506 posts

132 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Happening all over East Yorkshire over the last few years, not just to 50 but even down to 30 for no apparent reason.

The Don of Croy

5,992 posts

159 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Otispunkmeyer said:
...Anyway, regardless of which roads are now 50 or 40 it simply doesn't matter because invariably you'll come across a large train of cars held up behind some holier than thou doing 40 everywhere.
Or it could well be a new driver with black box insurance (like my son) who was bullied all over the place until his renewal...

JakeT

5,425 posts

120 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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The Don of Croy said:
Otispunkmeyer said:
...Anyway, regardless of which roads are now 50 or 40 it simply doesn't matter because invariably you'll come across a large train of cars held up behind some holier than thou doing 40 everywhere.
Or it could well be a new driver with black box insurance (like my son) who was bullied all over the place until his renewal...
My insurance was cheaper without telematics. Happy days for me, and I have had to drive at all hours of the day. Going direct can sometimes help. I found Aviva was great for my quote and saved me £300.

But with regards to NSL, it was going to happen someday or another. Fortunately my area has not been really hit at all since the drivers here aren't too bad actually. But you can see where they've changed an NSL to 50 or 40 as all of the small roads leading off of it are NSL... And people just speed in it anyway.

Jagmanv12

1,573 posts

164 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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The thing is that unrealistic limits will just bring contempt for limits in general. Whilst the majority would possibly support 20mph past schools when they are open, 40mph on a dual carriageway with no houses or turnings is likely to be ignored.

XJ Flyer

5,526 posts

130 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Jagmanv12 said:
The thing is that unrealistic limits will just bring contempt for limits in general. 40mph on a dual carriageway with no houses or turnings is likely to be ignored.
The problem being that the law knows that so that's where they will put the laser traps for maximum nick quota potential.

The Don of Croy

5,992 posts

159 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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XJ Flyer said:
Jagmanv12 said:
The thing is that unrealistic limits will just bring contempt for limits in general. 40mph on a dual carriageway with no houses or turnings is likely to be ignored.
The problem being that the law knows that so that's where they will put the laser traps for maximum nick quota potential.
Except it's not the law any more, it's the 'safety camera partnership' who should be under local control (but aren't), whereas plod is answerable to the 'police and crime commissioner' (less said the better).

Sadly, we've probably seen the end of large scale hooning and we'll be encouraged to safely indulge our racing fantasies at the track (suitably regulated and controlled). Not that I'd ever condone breaking the law, you understand.

saaby93

32,038 posts

178 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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JakeT said:
But with regards to NSL, it was going to happen someday or another. Fortunately my area has not been really hit at all since the drivers here aren't too bad actually. But you can see where they've changed an NSL to 50 or 40 as all of the small roads leading off of it are NSL... And people just speed in it anyway.
Can you break that down a bit?

Hol

8,408 posts

200 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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[Devils advocate]

Oh look, how surprising! That road now has a speed limit low enough for us to start work to negotiate with a contractor to put some houses on the side of it.


[/Devils advocate]


From NSL to 50, to 40, to 30.

anonymous-user

54 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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There's also the ridiculous fact that the modern driver seems to take no responsibility for their actions.
On a B road near me, they keep "extending" the 40mph limit out from the villages, further and further. Why is this you ask? Well, what happens is that someone drives their car out of the village, gets to the national speed limit zone, accelerates up to speed without paying the slightest bit of attention to the road ahead. At the first corner they crash. Then there is a massive knee jerk reaction to "prevent further accidents at this DANGEROUS corner" and so the 40mph limit is extended to include that particular corner. Then the process starts again, with the next corner becoming the dangerous one. Eventually, the entire road is downgraded to 40mph.

What should be happening is that people should be asking "why did the driver crash on a corner that's been there for 60 years and is in plain sight"..........

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

261 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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The Don of Croy said:
Sadly, we've probably seen the end of large scale hooning and we'll be encouraged to safely indulge our racing fantasies at the track (suitably regulated and controlled). Not that I'd ever condone breaking the law, you understand.
If the speed limits were set to deal with nutters with racing fantasies we wouldn't have an issue. The problem is they are being lowered to well below the proverbial 'cautious driver who happens to be in a bit of a hurry' speed.

Doing 50 odd on a quiet rural road with good visibility and wide verges is hardly indulging a racing fantasy.

HertsBiker

6,308 posts

271 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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That scooter rider, presumably was speeding then? Thought blind bends made sensible folk slow down... What's the speed limit got to do with being safe? Grrrrrr!

LooneyTunes

6,833 posts

158 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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The irony in Cheshire is that the A50 is now mostly 50 limited whereas the country lanes that join it remain NSL.

I know which (pre limit change) felt safer at 60...

MC Bodge

21,620 posts

175 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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LooneyTunes said:
The irony in Cheshire is that the A50 is now mostly 50 limited whereas the country lanes that join it remain NSL.

I know which (pre limit change) felt safer at 60...
The A50 is a mostly pleasant, wide, old-style A-road with thankfully good sight-lines. It is, in effect, still NSL...

The road past Jodrell Bank is a bit narrower/tighter in places, so some caution would be advised in some places, but 60mph is fine in most places. Whatever happened to personal judgement?


Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 19th September 19:00

saaby93

32,038 posts

178 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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These thing dont happen without anyone knowing. If you see a proposal for a 50 or less for no good reason does anyone do anything about it?