At last they're realising higher speed limits can be safer

[saaby93]

Roadworks speed limits found to be just as safe at 60mph as 50mph.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-53541440
It's similar on motorways where they tried leaving it at default speed limit. It seems more likely there are collisions in lower limits. Do people take less care or less alert?

Now what to do about towns where they've brought in 20 limits and led to the accident statistics going the wrong way?

[Dr Jekyll]

Usual approach in these situations is to say speed limits aren't primarily about safety anyway but reducing noise/tyre wear/fuel use or just discouraging people from using cars.

[JagLover]

Those long "roadworks" restrictions were clearly just about bringing in a low speed limit for a large section of a motorway in any case. There is no way that roadworks are required to be the length that they are on the M4 for example.

Rather than celebrate being permitted to do 60mph through those twenty plus mile stretches we should be querying why they exist in the first place.

[gruffalo]

JagLover said:

Those long "roadworks" restrictions were clearly just about bringing in a low speed limit for a large section of a motorway in any case. There is no way that roadworks are required to be the length that they are on the M4 for example.

Rather than celebrate being permitted to do 60mph through those twenty plus mile stretches we should be querying why they exist in the first place.

On the M4 we should be querying why we have such long road works installing a Smart Motorway when they have scrapped them due to the danger.

[Teddy Lop]

JagLover said:

Those long "roadworks" restrictions were clearly just about bringing in a low speed limit for a large section of a motorway in any case. There is no way that roadworks are required to be the length that they are on the M4 for example.

Rather than celebrate being permitted to do 60mph through those twenty plus mile stretches we should be querying why they exist in the first place.

^this.

Twenty miles of cones and there'll typically be some guys working on a 50 yard section. Beaurocratic overreach at its finest.

Be the equivalent of me asking the electric board to switch off an entire district for a week so I can replace a light switch.

[Mining Subsidence Man]

When is it time that the M5 near Bristol had all of it's crash barriers replaced, again?

[skyrover]

Its time to get rid of differential speed limits for cars and trucks.

This is the single biggest speed related problem on UK roads IMO

[Plymo]

I wonder if the Scots will get that memo... They have a habit of sticking up 40 signs for any sort of works, and not bothering to put any end of limit signs up at the end!

[turbobloke]

"At last" is spot on for motorway roadworks. There's a TRL report from many years ago which showed using data from actual motorway roadwork sections that the only effective approach to reducing accidents is police patrols. IIRC speed cameras in low limits made things worse. I'll see if I can find a copy. I'll post the data if so.

[peterperkins]

skyrover said:

Its time to get rid of differential speed limits for cars and trucks.

This is the single biggest speed related problem on UK roads IMO

I don't particularly want 44 ton truck's doing 70 on motorways and 60 on A roads, do you?

That's a lot more kinetic energy to get rid of in an emergency or collision.

So that means we will all have to be pegged at 56mph or whatever it is.

[Don Roque]

skyrover said:

Its time to get rid of differential speed limits for cars and trucks.

This is the single biggest speed related problem on UK roads IMO

HGV's are typically badly driven already, we don't need them going any faster.

[Turn7]

gruffalo said:

On the M4 we should be querying why we have such long road works installing a Smart Motorway when they have scrapped them due to the danger.

Have they actually decided to scrap "smart" motorways ? Id not heard that ?

[Byker28i]

Mining Subsidence Man said:

When is it time that the M5 near Bristol had all of it's crash barriers replaced, again?

Same on the M4 from junc 13 to 17. Take out the barriers put in cable system. Roadworks for a year whilst they put in new information boards. The again to rip out cable barriers and replace with concrete wall, or new metal barriers again...

[A Winner Is You]

The biggest problem with the 50 limit is the HGVs who will still be doing 56mph, and if one is tailgating you in the side lane you're pretty much stuck with it

[Buzz84]

Turn7 said:

gruffalo said:

On the M4 we should be querying why we have such long road works installing a Smart Motorway when they have scrapped them due to the danger.

Have they actually decided to scrap "smart" motorways ? Id not heard that ?

No they've not been scrapped. They have cancelled any plans for any more at the moment but are still finishing and putting into use ones that they started converting.

[Evercross]

Turn7 said:

Have they actually decided to scrap "smart" motorways ? Id not heard that ?

Not 'scrapped' as such, but there's an ongoing judicial review (started in January this year, findings probably delayed now due to Covid) that looks likely to result in recommendations that no more are built and the existing ones be returned to standard.

[Turn7]

Buzz84 said:

Turn7 said:

gruffalo said:

On the M4 we should be querying why we have such long road works installing a Smart Motorway when they have scrapped them due to the danger.

Have they actually decided to scrap "smart" motorways ? Id not heard that ?

No they've not been scrapped. They have cancelled any plans for any more at the moment but are still finishing and putting into use ones that they started converting.

That was my understanding....

[Evercross]

Buzz84 said:

They have cancelled any plans for any more at the moment but are still finishing and putting into use ones that they started converting.

Crazy, but I guess they are obliged to continue with existing contracts until the judicial review gives its findings.

[ScotHill]

The article points out that over a 24 mile section the time saving of a 60mph limit over a 50mph limit would be a whopping 68 seconds, so it's not like we're all going to suddenly have a lot more leisure time on our hands.

[Teddy Lop]

peterperkins said:

skyrover said:

Its time to get rid of differential speed limits for cars and trucks.

This is the single biggest speed related problem on UK roads IMO

I don't particularly want 44 ton truck's doing 70 on motorways and 60 on A roads, do you?

That's a lot more kinetic energy to get rid of in an emergency or collision.

So that means we will all have to be pegged at 56mph or whatever it is.

in the states the trucks all seem to bomb along with the cars at 70 or 80 and it works fine as you don't get anywhere near so much elephant racing, I know someone'll be itching to argue the states isn't the best road safety model but unless you have specifics to trucks on freeways...

There's a lot of mileage that droning along at speeds that dull your senses has dangers that differ from those of higher speeds.