Time for Change
Discussion
Recently the Government announced the wider adoption of a pilot scheme which saw the hard shoulder of a motorway used as additional carriageway in times of heavy usage. Humm!
1) This suggests the Government recognise there isn't enough "capacity" at certain times but don't have the balls to build more.
2)The most congested motorway is the M25 but this would harly benefit from this scheme due to the many bridges and restricted hard shoulders around them.
Surely the obvious answer is to maximise the use of the road we already have. I am firmly of the opinion that we should allow "undertaking" as they do in the states. Many will say this is dangerous but if you don't like the idea... just stay in the left hand lane!
Equally, the most dangerous experiences I have had on the motorway are being caught in a rapidly moving queue of cars that brakes heavily because the front car has come across Plod on the inside doing 69-70. Yep, we can accept cameras at dangerous intersections, we can even accept speed cameras in accident black spots but let's be honest with ourselves, the natural speed limit on a motorway is around 90mph.
Give us undertaking and a 90mph motorway limit and we may come round to road pricing more easily.
1) This suggests the Government recognise there isn't enough "capacity" at certain times but don't have the balls to build more.
2)The most congested motorway is the M25 but this would harly benefit from this scheme due to the many bridges and restricted hard shoulders around them.
Surely the obvious answer is to maximise the use of the road we already have. I am firmly of the opinion that we should allow "undertaking" as they do in the states. Many will say this is dangerous but if you don't like the idea... just stay in the left hand lane!
Equally, the most dangerous experiences I have had on the motorway are being caught in a rapidly moving queue of cars that brakes heavily because the front car has come across Plod on the inside doing 69-70. Yep, we can accept cameras at dangerous intersections, we can even accept speed cameras in accident black spots but let's be honest with ourselves, the natural speed limit on a motorway is around 90mph.
Give us undertaking and a 90mph motorway limit and we may come round to road pricing more easily.
There should be a slight change to carriageway widths too.
At present the 3 lane motorway is 10.95m wide and the hard shoulder 3.30m making the road some 14.25m in each direction.
On congested roads we should go for 4 lanes with a narrower hard shoulder with the 1 metre drainage strip made usuable, this gives about 15.25m of available space.
Hard shoulder is taken down to 2.75m this leaves 12.50m
2 carriageways at 3.45m next to the hard shoulder [6.90m] leaves just 5.60m for two lanes at 2.80m.
I would suggest that keeping the 70 limit on these roads was best, the congestion would ease but the roads space would become more densely populated.
There would be restrictions on the types of vehicles that could use the to 'fast lanes'.
Just an idea that is cheap, quick and easy...
At present the 3 lane motorway is 10.95m wide and the hard shoulder 3.30m making the road some 14.25m in each direction.
On congested roads we should go for 4 lanes with a narrower hard shoulder with the 1 metre drainage strip made usuable, this gives about 15.25m of available space.
Hard shoulder is taken down to 2.75m this leaves 12.50m
2 carriageways at 3.45m next to the hard shoulder [6.90m] leaves just 5.60m for two lanes at 2.80m.
I would suggest that keeping the 70 limit on these roads was best, the congestion would ease but the roads space would become more densely populated.
There would be restrictions on the types of vehicles that could use the to 'fast lanes'.
Just an idea that is cheap, quick and easy...
Einion Yrth said:
Chrispy Porker said:
Speed limits on canals are ridiculously low.
That's to avoid bank erosion, not control freakery from scumbag politicos aided and abetted by their pet fuzz.But many around here are lined with steel plates...
Also if they raised the limit for commercial craft to say 10mph maybe they could charge them more to cover any damage ?
Problem is barges don't exactly stop on a dime so they simply can't go very fast safely on a narrow canal.
Mr2Mike said:
Brother Mycroft said:
Just an idea that is cheap, quick and easy...
Judging from the number of people who have difficulty staying in one lane at their current width, I think making them narrower could well end up with more accidents.
Shar2 said:
Mr2Mike said:
Brother Mycroft said:
Just an idea that is cheap, quick and easy...
Judging from the number of people who have difficulty staying in one lane at their current width, I think making them narrower could well end up with more accidents.I think that if we were to set it so that the 3 into 4 happended at prior to junctions and lasted over an entire section [J to J] it would be a fine cut difference.
I don't know but I do know that TRL did like this idea in 2000/2001.
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