National speed limit zones disappearing fast!

National speed limit zones disappearing fast!

Author
Discussion

JohnnyJones

Original Poster:

1,694 posts

177 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Is this happening anywhere else? I live / work between Mid Cheshire and Blackpool and the 'National Speed Limit' A road speed limits are fast being re designated as 50 mph zones. As they have been in the Peak District and Lake District.

Matthen

1,285 posts

150 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Yep, getting rarer and rarer down her in the south east. Reduce speed limit add traffic islands seems to be the recipe.

JohnnyJones

Original Poster:

1,694 posts

177 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Yeah, we're getting the traffic islands too. If it's a new national policy I'm surprised one of the motoring organisations hasn't made a fuss about it going through parliament. Unless I missed it.

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Most of the general population have no idea what an NSL sign means anyway. In my experience they carry on at 45mph in NSL zones. So from their daft viewpoint they probably think the speed limit has just gone up rolleyes

cat220

2,762 posts

214 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Happening in Scotland too. I'm just outside Glasgow and at least two NSL zones (in the countryside) near me are now 40 and 50 zones.



bungle

1,874 posts

239 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Yes, most of Warwickshire's NSL zones have been changed to 50mph. Absolutely ridiculous most of them, no justification.

Mutts

284 posts

157 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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k-ink said:
Most of the general population have no idea what an NSL sign means anyway. In my experience they carry on at 45mph in NSL zones. So from their daft viewpoint they probably think the speed limit has just gone up rolleyes
Find that round here, folk drive at 40, pass the NSL sign and still do 40 even though the road is now a 60 zone.
Guess most just drive in "brain dead" mode only looking for traffic lights.

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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JohnnyJones said:
Yeah, we're getting the traffic islands too. If it's a new national policy I'm surprised one of the motoring organisations hasn't made a fuss about it going through parliament. Unless I missed it.
No it isn't new national policy. National policy is to keep speed limits up.
It's local policy due to local political pressure.
Someone mentioned Warwickshire where they found traffic speeds went up as they brought speed limits down. Is that worth complaining about?

It's getting so messed up youre not quite sure what the limit is until you see the terminal sign. Hence the drive at 40 everywhere merchants just in case.

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 18th September 09:16

JohnnyJones

Original Poster:

1,694 posts

177 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
quotequote all
What like local campaigns swaying the local council? All at the same time?

saaby93 said:
It's local policy due to local political pressure.

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 18th September 09:16

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
quotequote all
JohnnyJones said:
What like local campaigns swaying the local council? All at the same time?
saaby93 said:
It's local policy due to local political pressure.
Not all at exactly the same time - its been taking a few years

google for 'save our 60s' to see a bikers' campaign from a few years back

Youve been sleeping if you havent noticed it happening



TurboHatchback

4,151 posts

152 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Yes this is absolutely the case, more than that previously 50 and 40 sections are becoming 30s and 30s are becoming 20s. It's got to the point where even my mother (in her 50s and the slowest most careful driver in the world) is complaining about the stupidity of it all.

Unfortunately it seems like control over such measures is firmly in the hands of councils made up of doddering old farts who can't manage more than 35 anywhere and ghastly interfering busybodies running around screaming 'think of the children', none of whom are competent drivers or actually have to use the roads to get places.

I started a topic on this subject a while back, How much respect do you have for speed limits?. I have completely lost all respect for any limits due to the pointlessness of most of them which is bad because there are rare occasions where the limit is actually there for a reason. It's like putting H&S warning stickers absolutely everywhere, you just end up ignoring them all, even the important ones which might stop you getting hurt.


anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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As we have a system of pandering to the lowest common denominator, what you end up with is a system that operates entirely at that level. Just ignore the new limits like everyone else.

ORD

18,086 posts

126 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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The thing is that you cannot ignore them, as the main reason to impose a 50 limit is to be able to populate it with cameras. A NSL is a rare thing down south these days, even on roads that could be driven quite safely at far more than 60mph.

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Except for when you go past a hidden camera in a bush, like I did a few weeks ago. It is retarded, yet it will affect my next car choice. I actively intend to seek a car which feels fast at low to normal speeds just to keep a smile on my face. Rather than the reverse. Add in the expected future petrol rises (multiples of today would not surprise me in the least) and I am rapidly losing faith in the point of quick cars. I can see me downsizing to a mario kart if it continues along this path.

robinessex

11,046 posts

180 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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JohnnyJones said:
Yeah, we're getting the traffic islands too. If it's a new national policy I'm surprised one of the motoring organisations hasn't made a fuss about it going through parliament. Unless I missed it.
Have a look at ABD website. You do belong to it, don't you?

chriscoates

787 posts

159 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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This trend seems to be increasing near me too. The Peak District used to be the perfect place for an early morning hoon but now pretty much every decent road (barring the narrow lanes where NSL is pointless) is now a 50 limit. I find that on roads such as the A515 which has long straights and the A57 from Ladybower towards Sheffield, people simply ignore the limit and drive at 60 anyway, aside from the 40mph brigade obviously.

Pappagallo

755 posts

152 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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Certainly the case in Warwickshire.

Could be rubbish, but I've heard that one of the reasons that councils downgrade from NSL is that they then have less obligation to maintain the road...?

simo1863

1,866 posts

127 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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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).


TLandCruiser

2,788 posts

197 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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I think a lot of the pressure is via the local parish councils, for example in my village there's a long straight road that was once a nsl and locals were complaining it was dangerous and cars were speeding with someone idiot saying, I can't believe it has a 70mph limit.

The road was reduced to 40mph and 50mph in areas and people still complain people are always speeding and driving too fast and want traffic calming measures introduced. What annoys me so much from living just off the road and using it daily I have generally found that most people stick to the limit, of course you get the odd car driving faster but it's no where near as bad as some of the plonkers are making out....generally the parish complaints are from old people who I feel may have a poor judgement of speed. I always read my local parish meeting minutes online out of interest but I have started to feel an urge to get more involved due to some of the stupid comments and request I see.

XJ Flyer

5,526 posts

129 months

Thursday 18th September 2014
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k-ink said:
I am rapidly losing faith in the point of quick cars. I can see me downsizing to a mario kart if it continues along this path.
This country has always been a case of quick car driving hell compared to the continent.I've been happy to leave the quick car in the garage much more than before as our speed regime gets even ever worse than before.However the bit that bothers me is that the previously often much freer speed regimes on the continent are now getting much closer to what it 'was' like here before the speed nazis went absolutely mad with their limits.In that environment I don't think I'd want to 'downsize' which might be some of the aims of the regime.I'll probably start looking for the types of classic which were considered 'quick',as opposed to fast,by 1950's/60's standards.By that logic I always liked the old school 1960's 6 cylinder Austin Westminster which would probably provide Jaguarish grace and space together with the right type of noises but most importantly together with the type of pace that's more suited to a 50-80 mph max speed regime.So I'll be watching the values of these closely and I can imagine many banger racers kicking themselves as time goes on.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExTrCblwAhs

As for the XJ sadly in the longer term it seems like a hellish environment of £6 per gallon + fuel costs and strictly enforced 80 mph max continental speed regime at best and a UK 50-60 mph one at worst will probably mean it will probably have to end it's days on the track or be broken up for parts for the racing community to use.At 55 it seems like I was born 10 years too late let alone present and future generations of car enthusiasts.