EU Eye on Overtaking
Northamptonshire experiment could be the thin end of the wedge
European legislators have been to Northampton this month to review an experimental - and controversial - road safety project. Draft legislation favoured by the French and British Governments could see overtaking limited to dual carriageways and defined sections of trunk roads only.
Over the last nine months, the Highways Agency has increased the number of double white lines on A roads in Northamptonshire. A staggering 140 additional miles of road in the country now have overtaking prohibited.
Highways Agency spokesman Kevin Shanks told us, "Head on impacts remain one the single most dangerous collision. Anything we can do to minimise the chances of two cars coming together is for the good of all road users."
The proposed legislation, comes under the European Communities (Road Safety) Compulsory Traffic Management Regulations Amendment 2004. European legislators are expected to stipulate that overtaking must be limited to dual carriageways and specially marked sections of single carriageway only.
The Highways Agency has experimented with two marking schemes to date. The first was quickly scrapped after the green road surface was found to attract pheasants! The second has proved more successful and consists of a simple chequered flag imprint every 20 yards in both lanes.
European legislators are concerned that with the introduction of ten new member states, road death rates could soar once again. Project manager Hans Terfbaumer is quoted as saying, "Overtaking is death. Death to overtaking."
Perhaps it's really time to sign up to aFederal Europe and get rid of Phony Tony and replace him with a faceless Eurocrat who doesn't give a ferk except for his expense sheet.........
A huge number of people (not me at all honest) quite happily go over the white lines as it is f
g stupid. I can see the same thing happening. which political party is anti-EU ??
Malc
This needs fightning every step of the way.
Having been to post-communist East Germany, there were no road signs outside town to stop people escaping. One of the things a dictatorship wants is to cripple the ability of the populace to travel. Can anyone see where this is going???
Leading to these being ignored where they are sensible and necessary.
Leading to an increase in accidents and road deaths.
Leading to the government saying "told you so - drivers can't be trusted; let's limit them all to 15mph and tax them out of existence"
Definately the thin end of the wedge as far as I see it.
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