RE: 50 limits by the back door: PH Blog

[Tankrizzo]

spaximus said:

Another example is the Bryn-glas tunnels, I have never driven on that section and it not been 50mph and the result is always a tailback which those limits have created.

Most people always used to manage to drive that section without too much hassle, but the signs now create the problem. Drive that section on a Friday afternoon and the tail back is well past Newport and as soon as you are past the tunnel normality returns.

To be fair, it was never great there around rush hour due to the fact it narrows to 2 lanes and everyone always lifts off when going into the darkness of the tunnel anyway. I remember sitting in queues outside the tunnels in the late 90s. Pretty sure the extra traffic on the road these days has just exacerbated the issue.

(I was born and grew up just off High Cross and spent the first 20 years of my life as a Clart!)

[theshed]

Good Article.
If limits where more realistic more people would abide by them.
Why, when these 'smart' motorways are being installed are the limits reduced to 50 MPH ?
Three lanes at 50, and round the corner a dual carriageway with a 70 MPH limit !
It winds me up to see not a workman in sight but a sign picturing a child telling me their parent works there ! Well I don't know what they told you, but they are not working here

[spaximus]

Tankrizzo said:

spaximus said:

Another example is the Bryn-glas tunnels, I have never driven on that section and it not been 50mph and the result is always a tailback which those limits have created.

Most people always used to manage to drive that section without too much hassle, but the signs now create the problem. Drive that section on a Friday afternoon and the tail back is well past Newport and as soon as you are past the tunnel normality returns.

To be fair, it was never great there around rush hour due to the fact it narrows to 2 lanes and everyone always lifts off when going into the darkness of the tunnel anyway. I remember sitting in queues outside the tunnels in the late 90s. Pretty sure the extra traffic on the road these days has just exacerbated the issue.

(I was born and grew up just off High Cross and spent the first 20 years of my life as a Clart!)

I understand what you are saying and yes there has always been the odd queue, but now it is constant. Add in the extra traffic on a weekend and you have huge queues. It got much worse when they actually fitted the cameras that were there with digital ones and actually switched them on. They made a huge fuss in the local press about that and people now do slow to the gantry speed.

[Stevev8s]

Living close to the M42, the original "managed motorway" I think, in general, the system works well and at times of high traffic congestion it flows more smoothly when the 4 lane, lowered speed limits are sensibly applied. However, what I find incredibly frustrating is when fluctuating limits (60, 50, 40 60, 40 etc) are applied, seemingly at random, and with no relationship to existing traffic levels. These do seem to be imposed with the simple aim of catching people out and increasing fines without any cause or justification. On one occasion I joined the motorway very early in the morning, but in full daylight when there was only one other car visible (in either direction), only to find that the second gantry was showing 50 but the next went back to de-restricted. I would love to know how this can be explained or justified? What about raising a question for parliament and trying to obtain the number of supporters necessary to ensure the matter is discussed at the highest level? I reckon you would be overwhelmed with responses.

[IJB1959]

Strange thing that cars are getting smarter, safer, and faster but the road limits are getting slower.

[funkyrobot]

I spent a bit of time on the M25 over the bank holiday weekend. At certain points, the gantries were lit up with variable speed limits.

Interestingly, most of the traffic flowed really smoothly. The only problems I saw were the morons in the far right lane tailgating each other, undertaking, then slamming the brakes on when they came across a gantry. What a bizarre way to drive.

The inner lanes were flowing at the speed limit quite happily. In fact, I don't think my fiancée touched the brakes at all in most of the variable sections. I guess the traffic smoothing works.

[funkyrobot]

IJB1959 said:

Strange thing that cars are getting smarter, safer, and faster but the road limits are getting slower.

Trouble is, the feeling of being on the road is getting more and more disconnected. 30 mph in a modern car, for instance, feels a lot slower than 30 mph did in older cars.

[saaby93]

I thought smart motorways meant that instead of having lane 1 empty and lane 2, 3 full, youd now have lane 0 empty and lanes 1, 2, and 3 with traffic - assuming the hardshoulder becomes lane 0 when it's live to save renumbering all the other lanes

[IJB1959]

funkyrobot said:

Trouble is, the feeling of being on the road is getting more and more disconnected. 30 mph in a modern car, for instance, feels a lot slower than 30 mph did in older cars.

That is true, modern cars do feel slower and are definitely safer, so in terms of accident injury it must be less over the years per x amount of road users, so the limits cannot be purely a safety issue, rather designed to keep traffic moving. I think the conclusion on here is that The Highways Agency and other authorities will impose whatever limit they think fit (rightly or wrongly) regardless of what we all think, and any public consultation to the contrary. We do all now live in an all seeing, automatic penalty issuing, authoritive nanny state (like it or not) if you don't comply.