Am I imagining it or ...

[over_the_hill]

are people driving slower on Motorways.

I was coming back up the M1 last night at about 9:00pm, and once north of Luton and clear of the road works it
was noticeable how few cars were travelling faster than 70 mph. Traffic was light and conditions were good.
I know the limit is 70 but usually most people would be, shall we say, "pressing on". In fact quite a few were doing less than 70 mph.

Is this an affect of fuel prices and people trying to drive more economically.

[Howard-]

Maybe more and more people are realising that motorways are incredibly boring and you may as well sit back and enjoy increased fuel economy rather than trying to do 300mph and get to your destination 5 minutes earlier

[sinizter]

Yes.

Multiple threads on this subject over the past few months.

[Corsair7]

over_the_hill said:

are people driving slower on Motorways.

I was coming back up the M1 last night at about 9:00pm, and once north of Luton and clear of the road works it
was noticeable how few cars were travelling faster than 70 mph. Traffic was light and conditions were good.
I know the limit is 70 but usually most people would be, shall we say, "pressing on". In fact quite a few were doing less than 70 mph.

Is this an affect of fuel prices and people trying to drive more economically.

Its been going on for at least the last two years, cant beleive you haven't observed it before.

Some of us 'real people' have been suffering dont you know, both myself and the wife haven't had pay rises for the last 4 years, and i'm now being made redundant.

It was a caravan in Tenby this year, not the carribean, which it has been for the last 10 years or so.

Its called a recession. Most on here seem immune. Or say they are. Some of us live in the real world though.

[Howard-]

Corsair7 said:

It was a caravan in Tenby this year, not the carribean, which it has been for the last 10 years or so.

My heart bleeds for you.

OK so you're losing your job, fair enough. But the rest of the drivel you just posted is the exact reason people panic about it more than is necessary, due to the 'media hype'. So petrol has increased by a few tens of pence per litre. Woe. If you can afford holidays in the Caribbean every year then I'm sure unless you're absolutely shocking at managing your finances, a few increased costs shouldn't cause you to have to return to the bread line.


FWIW every day I see people steaming along the motorways at 80mph+. Just as many as I see, like myself, doing 65-70 in the inside lane. I like to save money where possible because it's prudent, not because I'm absolutely outraged at the price of everything.

[nouze]

Howard- said:

Maybe more and more people are realising that motorways are incredibly boring and you may as well sit back and enjoy increased fuel economy rather than trying to do 300mph and get to your destination 5 minutes earlier

Surely if those people chose to drive on A/B roads instead of M that would help them save even more fuel? And would free up space for those of us who find saving fuel fking boring?

[louiebaby]

It's amazing how much of a difference doing 70mph instead of 80mph makes on a motorway. (Tested on 5th Gear I think.)

Since a lot of our long motorway runs seem to be to the Mother-In-Law's, I think it's important to save the planet.

[Howard-]

nouze said:

Surely if those people chose to drive on A/B roads instead of M that would help them save even more fuel? And would free up space for those of us who find saving fuel fking boring?

Why?

A/B roads = often single-carriageway, littered with junctions and roundabouts and narrow lanes and hazards that you have to slow down and speed up for
Motorways = mostly a constant speed

I know which option is the more economical choice..


As for it being "fking boring", motorways are "fking boring" whether you do 60 or 160. I find it far more exciting to hoon along a nice smooth windy B road, but when I'm just trying to get somewhere far away, I'd rather do it comfortably, smoothly, quietly and economically.

Edited by Howard- on Thursday 25th August 09:44

[nouze]

Howard- said:

Why?

A/B roads = often single-carriageway, littered with junctions and roundabouts and narrow lanes and hazards that you have to slow down and speed up for
Motorways = mostly a constant speed

I know which option is the more economical choice..

Lower speed? At 40 mph cars don't use fuel at all do they?

Edit: bks, thinking ahead reduces the amount of times you have to break. You can easily do 40 mph average an an A/B road and barely touch brake pedal at all

Edited by nouze on Thursday 25th August 09:46

[Howard-]

nouze said:

Lower speed? At 40 mph cars don't use fuel at all do they?

Read my reply above, get a clue, then get back to me.

[nouze]

Howard- said:

Read my reply above, get a clue, then get back to me.

Why? FFS stop changing previous posts

[Meoricin]

nouze said:

Surely if those people chose to drive on A/B roads instead of M that would help them save even more fuel? And would free up space for those of us who find saving fuel fking boring?

Maybe if more of those who claim to find saving fuel boring made their day more interesting by driving on A/B roads instead of motorways, they wouldn't even care whether they were trying to save fuel or not as they had their enjoyable drive.

Keep the slow drivers on the motorway, where they belong. Keep the good roads for the rest of us.

[nouze]

Howard- said:

As for it being "fking boring", motorways are "fking boring" whether you do 60 or 160.

I take you've never done 160 mph

[Howard-]

nouze said:

Edit: bks, thinking ahead reduces the amount of times you have to break. You can easily do 40 mph average an an A/B road and barely touch brake pedal at all

Edited by nouze on Thursday 25th August 09:46

I'm sure you can, if you're in some sort of 28 Days Later scenario where everyone else in the country is dead.

Are you seriously saying that if you had to travel 50 or 100 miles, that taking the 'cross country' route is going to be MORE ECONOMICAL than simply getting on a motorway?!

[over_the_hill]

Corsair7 said:

Its been going on for at least the last two years, cant beleive you haven't observed it before.

I don't do long motorway drives "out of hours" very often. Usually in the day time traffic volume is a limiting factor.

[Corsair7]

Howard- said:

My heart bleeds for you.

OK so you're losing your job, fair enough. But the rest of the drivel you just posted is the exact reason people panic about it more than is necessary, due to the 'media hype'. So petrol has increased by a few tens of pence per litre. Woe. If you can afford holidays in the Caribbean every year then I'm sure unless you're absolutely shocking at managing your finances, a few increased costs shouldn't cause you to have to return to the bread line.


FWIW every day I see people steaming along the motorways at 80mph+. Just as many as I see, like myself, doing 65-70 in the inside lane. I like to save money where possible because it's prudent, not because I'm absolutely outraged at the price of everything.

So you think its only petrol prices that have increased and this is why people are driving slower? Did I say it was only the price of petrol? Inflation pushes the prices of most every day consumables up and wheb you also have negative inflation pay rises it cuts at both ends.

I didnt ask for your 'bleeding heart' sympathy so fk off and die.

[Howard-]

Corsair7 said:

I didnt ask for your 'bleeding heart' sympathy so fk off and die.

With that attitude, perhaps you should look into Pontins as your holiday destination for next year

[nouze]

Howard- said:

Are you seriously saying that if you had to travel 50 or 100 miles, that taking the 'cross country' route is going to be MORE ECONOMICAL than simply getting on a motorway?!

Unless you want to do 40 MPH on a motorway and piss everyone around you off with your selfishness intelligent and forward thinking driving on a A/B road will be more economical

[Howard-]

nouze said:

Unless you want to do 40 MPH on a motorway and piss everyone around you off with your selfishness intelligent and forward thinking driving on a A/B road will be more economical

Did you not read anything I said? If this happened to be the world's longest, straightest B road without ANY potential hazards meaning you'd have to slow down, then accelerate back up to speed then yes, perhaps doing 40mph would be more economical than doing 70mph on a motorway. But otherwise, no. Just no.

No amount of intelligence and forward thinking can prevent traffic build up, junctions and roundabouts.

[nouze]

Meoricin said:

Maybe if more of those who claim to find saving fuel boring made their day more interesting by driving on A/B roads instead of motorways, they wouldn't even care whether they were trying to save fuel or not as they had their enjoyable drive.

Keep the slow drivers on the motorway, where they belong. Keep the good roads for the rest of us.

Depending what you like. I like the flow and legal (of course) speed, that's what makes me relaxed. I fking hate to slam on my fking brakes every fking 2 miles because some fuel saving 50 MPH max tt decided to overtake without indicating into lane 3.