New bypass will have 60mph limit
New bypass will have 60mph limit
Author
Discussion

speedking31

Original Poster:

3,960 posts

167 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
Knutsford Guardian. Also reported in The Times today.

Allegedly for air pollution reasons with an aspiration to raise the limit in a few years time when vehicle emissions reduce, as if that will ever happen!

The culprit appears to be diesel cars which actually produce ~6 times the pollution claimed by the manufacturers in vehicle specifications. No surprises there then. Most efficient at 56 mph, best acceleration at 0-60, etc. tuning the cars to optimize the test results.

Seems like the start of a slippery slope when brand new roads are subject to artificially low limits considering the public opposition to reductions on other parts of the motorway network.

aw51 121565

4,773 posts

264 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
yes , NOx reduction... Similar was recently planned for the M1 in South Yorkshire from memory (reduction to 60?), with aspirations to raise the limit again in a few years (can't recall if it happened or was shelved redface )?

The NW quadrant of the M60 is now a 50mph limit, due to the 'upgrade to smart motorways' work which started in July and will last 3 years... All along that stretch there is concern about high NOx levels, and I'll wager that when the 'smart motorway' is open then the 70mph limit will only apply when the road is quiet (such as at night) and NOT when the road is busy during the day with traffic flowing well with no problems - solely to reduce the NOx levels in the area scratchchin .

It's a "technical fix" as opposed to the "radical change" which is needed (and which no-one has any clue about or what it might look like apart from maybe a reduction in the number of diesel cars in the vehicle parc which isn't going to happen any time soon hehe ); it's a bodge, if you like, to lessen the NOx problem in England which has arisen because many of us are crammed into conurbations and have very few routes (or even options) to get from A to B and back again compared to our European friends (and enemies hehe ) on the continent with their quieter motorways and main roads compared to those in England (therefore NOx levels are lower in almost all cases on comparable continental roads...) as a starter for 10.

Red Devil

13,529 posts

239 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
aw51 121565 said:
yes , NOx reduction... Similar was recently planned for the M1 in South Yorkshire from memory (reduction to 60?), with aspirations to raise the limit again in a few years (can't recall if it happened or was shelved redface )?
Consultation document - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...
Overwhelmingly rejected - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

Binned by the Secretary of State - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28210416
It hasn't gone away for ever though as the article makes clear.

Edited by Red Devil on Wednesday 8th October 19:01

Sheepshanks

41,300 posts

150 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
The road it's replacing is 60 now and by the time the new road is open there'll be so much traffic it'll be impossible to even do 60 except during the night.

speedking31

Original Poster:

3,960 posts

167 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
But the current road isn't a dual carriageway. So spend millions building a new road to modern design standards and then find that it has the same capacity and speed limits as the road its replacing, genius.

Swervin_Mervin

5,007 posts

269 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
speedking31 said:
But the current road isn't a dual carriageway. So spend millions building a new road to modern design standards and then find that it has the same capacity and speed limits as the road its replacing, genius.
Well, not quite. The two signalised 4-arm junctions on the A556 rather hinder capacity. (And it's actually currently got several speed limits - 50,60 and 70.)

The new route AFAIK has only one junction along its length and that's the grade separated one with the A50. So capacity will be higher. In fact, studies have shown that capacity also increases with lower speeds.

anonymous-user

85 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
speedking31 said:
But the current road isn't a dual carriageway. So spend millions building a new road to modern design standards and then find that it has the same capacity and speed limits as the road its replacing, genius.
Yes but it's crap with plenty of accidents, Also poor thread title you could have put the road name or number in it mad

I don't think you have any idea how much "sway" and how big a voice the enviroMENTALISTS and CBT have in fooooking it up for everyone else depending on your point of view.