Reg's Youtube thread
Discussion
Thanks Ali. I’ve just arranged to meet up with a manual M2 Comp owner later in June to make a video comparing the two gearboxes, so hopefully you’ll find that interesting.
In the meantime, I’ve made some new bike videos - here’s the first, an advanced bike demo ride. This is the edited version, but I’ll upload the full length unedited version in a few weeks time:
https://youtu.be/Vk4wu671mGI
In the meantime, I’ve made some new bike videos - here’s the first, an advanced bike demo ride. This is the edited version, but I’ll upload the full length unedited version in a few weeks time:
https://youtu.be/Vk4wu671mGI
^^ really good video!
Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
Max_Torque said:
^^ really good video!
Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
I live on a small housing estate on a road which loops round for about a mile from a main road. It’s a bus route with two primary and one secondary school, and lined with houses, driveways & the occasional shop.Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
Reg Local said:
I live on a small housing estate on a road which loops round for about a mile from a main road. It’s a bus route with two primary and one secondary school, and lined with houses, driveways & the occasional shop.
The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
I am the same, in a blanket 20 mph limit around "My" estate. But for the most part, the roads around the perifery, which back onto fields are also 20, and nobody, not even the police in fully marked cars do 20 on that bit. The problem is that people are getting used to exceeding the speed limit, and so how do we now sign REALLY important places to go slow where it matters, ie where you can't speed?The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
Reg Local said:
I live on a small housing estate on a road which loops round for about a mile from a main road. It’s a bus route with two primary and one secondary school, and lined with houses, driveways & the occasional shop.
The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
In the 1970s the UK was getting more friendly with Europe and many European towns had a 60 km/h (37 mph) speed limit often rigourously enforced by expensive police units. There were calls to increase the UK urban speed limit to the European level. A White Paper was published called, 'What Speed'. It reviewed urban speed limits and the conclusion was, at that time, that 37 mph was about average for most UK towns - but the government didn't want to spend out on enforcement. Answer was to maintain the 30 mph urban limit and most drivers would drive at the speed Europeans were forced to drive at.The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
Generally lowering speed limits lowers speeds, but not to the new limit, unless it is strongly enforced. Verified by Reg's street!
Reg Local said:
I would have been interested to hear your Friends opinion on the DCT as well!What surprised me about the DCT in the M3 was how good it was as an automatic. I came from the ZF auto in the 140 and the DCT never felt rough by comparison. Low speed manoeuvrability was nice and easy, too.
Think overall I preferred using the gearstick to the wheel pedals to change if I was in manual mode and on a flowing road, but I did chop and change a bit on tighter roads.
Reg- can't remember whether I used the manual mode when we went out. Think I did but wouldn't swear to it.
Think overall I preferred using the gearstick to the wheel pedals to change if I was in manual mode and on a flowing road, but I did chop and change a bit on tighter roads.
Reg- can't remember whether I used the manual mode when we went out. Think I did but wouldn't swear to it.
I've really enjoyed these videos. There's so much great content and wisdom. Even though I've done one advanced driving course and will be doing more, some of the fundamental concepts (like vehicle balance) I'm aware of but it's great to see this in action (I've read your books). And there's lots more good content I've yet to watch.
EG on a single track road while I'd not bomb it down, the idea to stop in half the distance you see is easily forgotten and great wisdom. In that vid there was an oncoming car and the gap closed quickly despite the sensible speeds. Any faster would be a problem!
I'd love to see a video on spatial awareness, e.g. driving on tight single lane country roads where there's trees sticking out, etc.
These vids have also made me appreciate that advanced driving isn't about going as fast as possible but also about doing the same (or more) with less input.
I'd stress that when offsiding I would indicate and check my rear view mirrors because if there's a bike behind you, he or she may have the same idea (and being as small and quick as they are), they could get in your blindspot. I'm glad you also mentioned that just because a light is green does not mean you should check the road you are crossing, as I have seen near hospitals, there can be emergency vehicles on lights that won't be stopping, as you said!
EG on a single track road while I'd not bomb it down, the idea to stop in half the distance you see is easily forgotten and great wisdom. In that vid there was an oncoming car and the gap closed quickly despite the sensible speeds. Any faster would be a problem!
I'd love to see a video on spatial awareness, e.g. driving on tight single lane country roads where there's trees sticking out, etc.
These vids have also made me appreciate that advanced driving isn't about going as fast as possible but also about doing the same (or more) with less input.
I'd stress that when offsiding I would indicate and check my rear view mirrors because if there's a bike behind you, he or she may have the same idea (and being as small and quick as they are), they could get in your blindspot. I'm glad you also mentioned that just because a light is green does not mean you should check the road you are crossing, as I have seen near hospitals, there can be emergency vehicles on lights that won't be stopping, as you said!
Edited by Z064life on Saturday 11th July 11:12
Reg Local said:
Max_Torque said:
^^ really good video!
Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
I live on a small housing estate on a road which loops round for about a mile from a main road. It’s a bus route with two primary and one secondary school, and lined with houses, driveways & the occasional shop.Be interested to know your opinion on blanket 20 limits? IMO, they don't work because 20 is so slow in a modern car in normal circumstances (ie typical area that used to be 30) that people don't do 20, ok, they don't do 30 either, but they are exceeding the limit, which further re-enforces in their head that it's "ok" to speed. (a bit like being able to do 85 on the M-Way, so effectively re-enforcing the normality of breaking the posted limit)
The speed limit has always been 30mph on my road, and for good reason. As you can imagine, there are lots of cars parked on the road, loads of pedestrians, kids, cyclists, people queuing for buses, dogs etc. A classic 30mph road.
But a majority of drivers consistently failed to recognise the hazards & drove in excess of the 30 limit. 40 was pretty much the speed most drivers would be comfortable with, despite everything thats going on, night & day. There were a few accidents every year - usually child pedestrians. These are always horrible.
2 years ago, the Council dropped the speed limit to 20mph. It’s well signed, with plenty of repeaters.
Now, everyone drives at 30mph.
I’m much happier with that. 30 still suits the road & hazards, but 20 feels excessively slow. I tend to drive close to 20mph and I think I’m pretty much the only one who does, but the overall effect of the 20 limit has been to bring the speed of traffic down to where it should be for that road.
And accidents have reduced significantly. Those accidents which do occur now tend to be much less serious, so it’s had the desired effect. Seems difficult to argue with in my view.
Amounderness Way in Fleetwood is a bypass road built wide and straight for overtaking, but is now 30mph and 40mph limits, apparently because of people colliding with cyclists at the roundabouts.
The A59 past BAE systems at Samlesbury was in one of your original overtaking videos, but is now a 50mph limit because of a few accidents and some new and upgraded junctions with the site of the aerodrome.
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.9142093,-3.0196405...
Do you feel that speed limit reductions are generally justified where they occur, or do you think it tends to be an easy way for local authorities and the Highways Agency to be seen to be dealing with a problem, or a perception of a problem, with poor driving from a minority of people using a road?
Reg Local said:
Do you feel that speed limit reductions are generally justified where they occur, or do you think it tends to be an easy way for local authorities and the Highways Agency to be seen to be dealing with a problem, or a perception of a problem, with poor driving from a minority of people using a road?
Often, the latter. A road just outside Guildford was dropped from national, following a fatal. The car was driven by a foreign driver and if I recall correctly, was on the wrong side of the road, head on into a grab lorry - nothing to do with speed.
A proposed change to a limit just near me, the reason given was a girl in a cycle lane had for whatever reason put her foot outside the line and (her foot) was run over ... nothing to do with speed. Further, it is a busy road, although she was accompanied by a parent, she was only 8 - shouldn’t have even been on the road IMHO.
Interestingly, whenever I’ve done driving day with x company the instructor, who have all been either a serving or retired police driver, has always explained that when safe, in national limits only, they want to see some progress - we all know what that means. One of them, was a serving instructor from Hendon - so I have a serving officer at the side of me telling me to exceed the speed limit, very clearly speed doesn’t kill ...
Obviously, speed affects the consequences of an accident, but I truly believe it isn’t the main cause in the majority of cases - meaning even if the speed had been reduced the accident would have still occurred.
Years ago I was driving past a school, loads of kids about, and, for this reason my speed was somewhere around 10 mph. One of them either stumbled or was pushed into the road at a point where I would have been unable to stop even at such a low speed. The reason I missed them was because I had positioned the car on the other side of the road away from them.
Edited by mph999 on Saturday 25th July 08:06
mph999 said:
Often, the latter.
A road just outside Guildford was dropped from national, following a fatal. The car was driven by a foreign driver and if I recall correctly, was on the wrong side of the road, head on into a grab lorry - nothing to do with speed.
A proposed change to a limit just near me, the reason given was a girl in a cycle lane had for whatever reason put her foot outside the line and (her foot) was run over ... nothing to do with speed. Further, it is a busy road, although she was accompanied by a parent, she was only 8 - shouldn’t have even been on the road IMHO.
Interestingly, whenever I’ve done driving day with x company the instructor, who have all been either a serving or retired police driver, has always explained that when safe, in national limits only, they want to see some progress - we all know what that means. One of them, was a serving instructor from Hendon - so I have a serving officer at the side of me telling me to exceed the speed limit, very clearly speed doesn’t kill ...
Obviously, speed affects the consequences of an accident, but I truly believe it isn’t the main cause in the majority of cases - meaning even if the speed had been reduced the accident would have still occurred.
Years ago I was driving past a school, loads of kids about, and, for this reason my speed was somewhere around 10 mph. One of them either stumbled or was pushed into the road at a point where I would have been unable to stop even at such a low speed. The reason I missed them was because I had positioned the car on the other side of the road away from them.
If you disagree with the proposed speed limit reduction, you and other people with similar thoughts need to respond to the consultation with your opinions. Local authorities often consult to ignore but enough people challenging them with a well constructed argument might make them realise motorists who want to get a reasonable shift on aren't swivel eyed boy racers or a breed apart from normal people. A road just outside Guildford was dropped from national, following a fatal. The car was driven by a foreign driver and if I recall correctly, was on the wrong side of the road, head on into a grab lorry - nothing to do with speed.
A proposed change to a limit just near me, the reason given was a girl in a cycle lane had for whatever reason put her foot outside the line and (her foot) was run over ... nothing to do with speed. Further, it is a busy road, although she was accompanied by a parent, she was only 8 - shouldn’t have even been on the road IMHO.
Interestingly, whenever I’ve done driving day with x company the instructor, who have all been either a serving or retired police driver, has always explained that when safe, in national limits only, they want to see some progress - we all know what that means. One of them, was a serving instructor from Hendon - so I have a serving officer at the side of me telling me to exceed the speed limit, very clearly speed doesn’t kill ...
Obviously, speed affects the consequences of an accident, but I truly believe it isn’t the main cause in the majority of cases - meaning even if the speed had been reduced the accident would have still occurred.
Years ago I was driving past a school, loads of kids about, and, for this reason my speed was somewhere around 10 mph. One of them either stumbled or was pushed into the road at a point where I would have been unable to stop even at such a low speed. The reason I missed them was because I had positioned the car on the other side of the road away from them.
Edited by mph999 on Saturday 25th July 08:06
The trouble is, organisations such as the IAM don't want to challenge accepted narrative and Government belief too much. The ABD doesn't seem to have anybody capable of putting forward a reasoned, coherent argument. The people running their social media accounts tend to come across as angry people who probably are dangerous on the road and they make the cyclists and Karens who want endless restrictions seem relatively rational.
I once attended a one day course with the late, great Pentti Airikkala on left foot braking. Pentti was mostly concerned with balancing the car and practising with him on a disused airfiled was great fun. However, he also emphasised the additional margin of safety if you are covering the brake pedal with your left foot when approaching a hazard. In fact not long after this I was doing exactly that when approaching a blind corner and found a Panda car (of all things!) coming towards me on the wrong side of the road, overtaking a bicycle. My speed was probably about 20mph but with my left foot covering the brake pedal, my stop felt instantaneous. The fact that the engine stalled (I was in a manual) was irrelevant in the circumstances.
These days I like to use left foot braking every now and then to make sure I still can and I will still cover the brake pedal with my left foot if approaching a limited visibility hazard. One more tool in the box!
These days I like to use left foot braking every now and then to make sure I still can and I will still cover the brake pedal with my left foot if approaching a limited visibility hazard. One more tool in the box!
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff