RE: 50 limits by the back door: PH Blog

[Mr Tidy]

EazyDuz said:

If everyone joined together and purchased fake plates and just drove at 70 through these areas, problem would be solved. The cameras will burn out from flashing too much and police would be overwhelmed with it all.
Power in numbers.

Great idea, but with fake plates I may be tempted to do more than 70. (oops)!

[caelite]

Mr Tidy said:

EazyDuz said:

If everyone joined together and purchased fake plates and just drove at 70 through these areas, problem would be solved. The cameras will burn out from flashing too much and police would be overwhelmed with it all.
Power in numbers.

Great idea, but with fake plates I may be tempted to do more than 70. (oops)!

With fake plates I may be tempted to give b road doddlers a little love shunt with my 4x4... Oops.

[anonymous-user]

There have been two previous articles which resulted in threads where those involved in highway maintenance, renewals and network control centres had inputted a small amount to try and clear up the queries and complaints from readers. There's historically always been a lack of transparency and an explanation as to why things are like they are. The things which applied then, still apply now.

Smart motorways are dumb: Tell Me I'm Wrong: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=150...

Road works aren't working: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=153...

[Debaser]

Get rid of motorway speed limits. Let people sort themselves out.

[powerstroke]

EazyDuz said:

If everyone joined together and purchased fake plates and just drove at 70 through these areas, problem would be solved. The cameras will burn out from flashing too much and police would be overwhelmed with it all.
Power in numbers.

This , you can't alter the municipal mind !! BRAKE crustys and green blob is their guide , I blame cycling beardy hand wringers for these
ideas on speed limits and traffic management,, we're fked

[boxedin]

PhantomPH said:

Eh? It wasn't 50mph round to there during the works. I stated the 50mph limit that covered the works, remained once they were done.

Just to be clear - you LIKE sitting on a clear stretch of 3 lanes at 50mph at any hour day or night? More fool you.

Meh, its for about 2 miles.. Out the 30K a year I do around the UK and Europe, its the least of my problems.

[PorkInsider]

I might be missing something here, but the particular section of the M1 being discussed in the article has some roadside signs - albeit quite small and poorly positioned ones - which read:

REDUCED SPEED LIMIT IN FORCE DURING TECHNOLOGY COMMISIONING

So presumably, even though they've finished the work to get to 4-lane running on that section, they're still fancying around with the CCTV or something?

Or am I missing something else?

[rxe]

EazyDuz said:

If everyone joined together and purchased fake plates and just drove at 70 through these areas, problem would be solved. The cameras will burn out from flashing too much and police would be overwhelmed with it all.
Power in numbers.

Not quite this, but I think people need to think a little more transactionally. I'm fed up with being treated like an idiot, whether it is silly speed limits or £100 fines for not filling in a SORN declaration exactly on time.

One day, "they" will want my help. Not sure what for, but it will probably happen. They can whistle for it.

[CaptainRAVE]

50mph in a modern car on a motorway in decent conditions is an absolute joke tbh. Sad times ahead for motorists I fear.

[Kenny Powers]

It's very clear then that education is needed in order to inform people of the purpose of the variable limits. It seems nearly everyone, including those who consider themselves pistonheads, don't actually know anything about the subject matter they are complaining about.

That's not a dig at anyone. There should genuinely be some public information programmes.

[Kawasicki]

mybrainhurts said:

Kawasicki said:

Look, if you are being forced to drive slowly for air quality reasons then you can't really complain. Slower is cleaner.

Plus, it's safer. Slower is safer.

Plus, because the motorway is smart slower is faster. Slower is faster.

Slower is just plain better.

Are you sicki?

No, quite healthi, I'm living in Germany now. Last night I overtook a train, not just any train, a high speed foookin' train. A couple of minutes later it passed me again, as some moron decided that 140mph was a sufficient speed for the outer lane of the A9 autobahn.

Still, motoring is safer in the UK.

[saaby93]

Kenny Powers said:

It's very clear then that education is needed in order to inform people of the purpose of the variable limits. It seems nearly everyone, including those who consider themselves pistonheads, don't actually know anything about the subject matter they are complaining about.

That's not a dig at anyone. There should genuinely be some public information programmes.

I dont think anyones complaining about where and when they seem to work eg at the M5 M6 junction at busy times

Its when theyre 'Stupid' rather than Smart eg ethe M42 M40 junction where there often seems to be one gantry out of kilter with the rest and it seems to be congestion causing rather than solving

Then there's the ones set to a speed limit for no apparent reason when there's very light traffic and it makes no difference

If theyre ever going to improve there ought to be a reporting method when theyre wrong - maybe PH is the place?

[DMN]

Smart motorwats are just another excuse to transfer public money to private hands.

They should have spent the money improving the road surfaces, and not just on motorways.

[dcb]

Davidonly said:

Why do we have amongst the lowest speed limits in the EU with the most cameras - do we really need that?

Because UK Gov likes to treat its citizens like children and over control.
Most parts of Europe have more freedoms.

The UK doesn't use the standard scientific rule of 85% for setting speed limits,
it sets limits mostly arbitrarily, without reference to what the traffic is doing.

Davidonly said:

Make things reasonable again: We can choose to use the road capacity at different times of day and NOT have to grind along at mind numbingly low speeds (yes even 70mph is FAR too slow for most people - 85 is more like it). Now we are looking at a future of ever increasing enforcement of ever lower limits (everywhere - not just the motorways) all the time. There has to be an economic impact...

There is indeed an economic impact. Time is money. Only about 100 people a year die
on UK motorways and yet we are constrained by a strictly enforced limit that hasn't changed
in fifty years.

I've stopped going to a lot of places, because I can't get there in a reasonable
time, like I used to.

Davidonly said:

Remember that an 80mph limit was indeed seriously considered not that long ago. Some people said that would mean more enforcement so leave it alone. They said (and it was true) that while 70mph is indeed far too slow for modern equipment in light traffic / good conditions the quid pro quo was you could kinda make progress when the traffic allowed as our police force allowed large amounts of discretion. Those days are over. Its 24/7 scammer enforcement now on empty or busy roads. Really do we HAVE to put up with this?

No we don't, but the Brits are a pretty docile bunch. We have one of the lowest motorway
speed limits *and* some of the strictest camera based enforcement. The worst of all possible
worlds, and yet the politicos do as they always do and ignore the problem.

Fortunately for me, more sane driving places (F, B, NL, D) are nearby. I find I like
to spend time and money over there instead of in the UK. From a driving viewpoint, UK
I find is well worth avoiding.

[funkyrobot]

cb1965 said:

funkyrobot said:

That is the usual load of bks trotted out by people who are convinced 'the system' is against them. Along with 'arbitrary number on a sign'.

So you think these slower motorways are a good idea? What next? Back to the horse and cart. It's people like you that are the problem with this country. You sit there accepting everything the authorities feed you and swallow their **** hook, line and sinker! Newsflash! There would be no need to lower motorway speed limits if the roads were invested in properly! They're not and it's a heck of a lot cheaper to reduce the speed limit and install cameras to fine everybody accordingly!

funkyrobot said:

I've read similar before on here by a chap who had been caught speeding again and was due to hit 12 points and maybe a ban. The system was quite clearly against him and it wasn't his fault at all.

And a stupid nonsensical comparison to boot!

Not at all. I'd rather raise my blood pressure for something more meaningful. Getting all hot and bothered about someone placing a 50mph limit on a motorway is a waste of time.

And as for swallowing everything the authorities say, that's utter tripe.

I only worry about what I can influence or change. If the authorities change the speed limit on a road and I can't do anything about it, why worry. Yes, there may be a group of like minded people who get together and maybe get a petition passed for discussion. However, what will that achieve?

Let's face it, the authorities do what they wish. Do we know of any limits that have been increased lately? If anything, they will just keep getting lower and lower.

Anyhow, isn't this forum supposed to be a place where people interested in driving meet? If people interested in driving cannot concentrate enough to notice speed limit changes, or give enough room to the car in front, then the rest of the country is doomed.

I think people are missing a trick here. Each person that gets caught speeding simply fuels the fires of the powers that be. It gives them more justification to keep pushing their agenda forward.

Case in point. A road local to me was opened around 6 years ago. There have been multiple fatalities. What do the authorities do? They rig it with average speed cameras. What happens? They find loads of people speeding in the first month (some of which were doing over 100 mph). They then use this to justify what they have done. Regardless of the fact that a crash could be caused by an idiot driver, lack of concentration etc.

Edited by funkyrobot on Thursday 30th March 08:55

[AH33]

Your number plates might get obscured, damaged or even fall off completely! Imagine that....

[funkyrobot]

mybrainhurts said:

funkyrobot said:

That is the usual load of bks trotted out by people who are convinced 'the system' is against them. Along with 'arbitrary number on a sign'.

I'll pass your comments on to the traffic plod who said Highways England were operating "cash traps" by manipulating variable limits where they are not justified.

No doubt he'll be glad for your guidance.

Wow, a policeman has an opinion.

I know of a policeman who regularly speeds. In fact, he is one of the angriest drivers I know.

You'd better tell your policeman friend about mine. Maybe they could meet up for a chat about things?

[funkyrobot]

DMN said:

Smart motorwats are just another excuse to transfer public money to private hands.

They should have spent the money improving the road surfaces, and not just on motorways.

Only if you are a moron and can't alter your speed accordingly.

[Dan Trent]

PorkInsider said:

I might be missing something here, but the particular section of the M1 being discussed in the article has some roadside signs - albeit quite small and poorly positioned ones - which read:

REDUCED SPEED LIMIT IN FORCE DURING TECHNOLOGY COMMISIONING

So presumably, even though they've finished the work to get to 4-lane running on that section, they're still fancying around with the CCTV or something?

Or am I missing something else?

Very interesting and your eyesight is clearly better than mine! If that's the case I'll happily eat (some of!) my words!

Dan

[Kenny Powers]

saaby93 said:

I dont think anyones complaining about where and when they seem to work eg at the M5 M6 junction at busy times

Its when theyre 'Stupid' rather than Smart eg ethe M42 M40 junction where there often seems to be one gantry out of kilter with the rest and it seems to be congestion causing rather than solving

Then there's the ones set to a speed limit for no apparent reason when there's very light traffic and it makes no difference

If theyre ever going to improve there ought to be a reporting method when theyre wrong - maybe PH is the place?

Fair points. Perhaps in time they will improve as more is learnt. My point is that, to my knowledge, they are about traffic flow, not draconian safety, as so many people continue to want to believe. In this regard, they appear to work.