Caught out by speed limit changes

[ninjadave]

I live in a small town, and drive to another small town to catch a train in to work everyday.

The one road I use is all nice and twisty with good overtaking spots, no houses until I get to the said small town with train station. Accordingly the road has always has NSL applied.
Fine.
Very Good.

Sometime between 2000 last night and 0600 this morning, some people have managed to install new speed limits, without warning, just Wham!
40mph... then 50 past the saab garage until the houses start where it's back into 30 as usual for the residentials.
Why?
Why?
Why?


I'm glad I travel early, as I bet there'll be a load of plods out later on the prowl for easy prey So be warned if you use the A4 from Chippenham to Calne!

Is this not actually a democracy we live in? There hasn't been an accident on that road the whole time I've used it. The people that use it are generally pretty ok drivers, nobody (apart from heavy lorries and tractors) hold anybody else up. And now the said lorries can't get an extra bit of speed on the uphill section as it starts out as a 40, then goes into NSL half way up... meaning the whole hill is really going to be 40mph

How can this be justified?

>>> Edited by ninjadave on Thursday 7th April 09:01

[miniman]

Presume you're referring to the stretch of A4 from Bowood, down the hill, past the Lyseley Arms pub, and then past the Saab garage?? If so, the reason for the new limit is most likely to be because of the accidents that happen at the bottom of the hill, right outside the pub. People tend to come flying down there and then lose it on the corner. Have seen multiple cars in the pub car park totalled by a single idiot overdoing it down the hill.

The stretch of road has been subject to a long-running campaign by the pub and other locals. It seems that their campaign has worked. To be fair, we all come on here and complain that speed detection and restriction should be limited to genuinely dangerous bits of roads, and that stretch certainly does have a bad history.

[ninjadave]

That's the badger.

In that case I will hold my hands up and say sorry.

I know the bikers meet there every so often, and thought it may be related to them.

However, if there are accidents around there, then fair enough. I haven't seen any myself, which is why I thought it was pretty harsh.

>> Edited by ninjadave on Thursday 7th April 09:34

[off_again]

Ah, I think that you will find that the relevant public notices are placed in the local newspapers for the proposal, acceptance and subsequent implementation of new speed limits - well in advance.

But hey, lets face it. Who reads those stupid, legaleese, jargon filled notices in the back of a local rag with 3 readers!

Farce and double farce.....

And no, we dont seem to live in a democracy and those "in power" obviously know better than you and I. They are public dictators, sorry servants.....

fers....

[miniman]

Actually the last accident I saw there was of almost comedic proportions! A chav had managed to roll his Corsa or whatever over about 6 cars in the carpark, and also destroyed the pub sign IIRC

[jezza l]

Same thing happened yesterday on a NSL road i use to get to work. Yesterday morning NSL, yesterday evening 40MPH.
There used to be several NSL/50mph roads that i would take once i was off the A3 by Guildford now everyone of them has been changed to a 40mph!!!! A couple of the roads i can understand as there are new houses/ office units and a couple of nasty accidents have happened within the last 6 months. The other roads i can see no reason at all to change them to 40mph!!!

[parrot of doom]

Accidents like this happen because people think that NSL = drive at 60mph always, instead of NSL = drive as fast as is safe, if you like.

[whoateallthepies]

ninjadave said:

I'm glad I travel early, as I bet there'll be a load of plods out later on the prowl for easy prey So be warned if you use the A4 from Chippenham to Calne! >>> Edited by ninjadave on Thursday 7th April 09:01

You might be surprised! They changed the road outside my house about six months ago. It was 40 past my house, rising to NSL-it is now 30 rising to 40.

In this particular instance I agree wholeheartedly, as I don't want to see my kids get wiped out by the chav to55ers who fly past my house at ridiculous speeds, before they have even got to what was the NSL stretch.

At no time have I seen a single BiB on this road, so the speed of the majority has not changed (I have even had people overtake on the brow of the hill because I was ONLY doing 45 FFS!!)

[Flat in Fifth]

I've told this story before but it's worth repeating.

A road I use to work (B road some residences / farms) was a 40. Being objective that 40 was about right, OK there were some stretches where 50 would have been appropriate, one bend where a drop to 30 advisable, but on balance given the state of things 40 about right at the times I usd to drive it.

One morning all the signs were to blazes and it was clear the limit was going to be a 30. Yet the signing was such utter tripe that depending upon which direction you approached the road from you could quite legally have thought this road was 30, 40 or NSL.

A call to the relevant people showed that the council had not made the necessary legal notices in the paper, no signs shown on lampposts etc etc. All very evasive.

A call to the area road safety officer asking him why the limit was being changed got the response of "WTF! I know nothing about this, and there is no reason why that I know of." He looked in his database and the only injury accidents involved two twoccers under pursuit. As he said "I suppose you could call that an excess speed accident, but its stretching the point beyond credibility don't you agree? Anyway twoccers wouldn't obey a 30 limit either" Then he said a very rude word!

A similar conversation was held with mates in the local traffic unit, equally no notification.

Anyway the change went ahead, all the legal stuff was done in retrospect. Then I chanced to look at the addresses of local councillers and all became clear.

FiF