Speed limit and ghost islands
Discussion
I am a truck driver and unless they have changed the law relating to derestricted single carraigway roads trucks are restricted to 40 mph and cars can do 60mph so what is a car driver supposed to do when he comes up behind me doing 40 when the centre of the road has a 3 foot wide ghost island with no breaks.
It happened last night on the A5 and when we got to the next roundabout everybody and his wife tried to overtake me on the roundabout.
Do you think the ghost island caused a dangerous situation farther down the road.
The road was dead straight but if you had pulled out to pass me would plod stop and book you for it.
It happened last night on the A5 and when we got to the next roundabout everybody and his wife tried to overtake me on the roundabout.
Do you think the ghost island caused a dangerous situation farther down the road.
The road was dead straight but if you had pulled out to pass me would plod stop and book you for it.
I thought ghost islands were exactly that, You are supposed to treat them just like a real island.
If its a traffic calming/safety thing then you are asking for trouble, If it was an old duffer driving at 40 mph in a 60 mph zone he could be criticized but if it was me driving a truck, I can't go any quicker.
If its a traffic calming/safety thing then you are asking for trouble, If it was an old duffer driving at 40 mph in a 60 mph zone he could be criticized but if it was me driving a truck, I can't go any quicker.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
And don't you just hate the muppets who carefully avoid (broken lined) hatching (set up to divert through drivers safely past right turners).
Come to a near standstill opposite a short right turn filter bay.
And then carefully manouvre into it so that they can turn right.
Having brought a hundred cars to a standstill behind them.
And then keep them gridlocked because they have left their tail end sticking into the inside lane!
And don't you just hate the muppets who carefully avoid (broken lined) hatching (set up to divert through drivers safely past right turners).
Come to a near standstill opposite a short right turn filter bay.
And then carefully manouvre into it so that they can turn right.
Having brought a hundred cars to a standstill behind them.
And then keep them gridlocked because they have left their tail end sticking into the inside lane!
bmw114 said:
It happened last night on the A5 and when we got to the next roundabout everybody and his wife tried to overtake me on the roundabout.
Doesn't the HWC say to drivers of large and/or slow vehicles that if they are aware of a queue of traffic behind them, they should pull over and let them pass rather than hold them up and increase driver frustration?
CB-Dave said:
Doesn't the HWC say to drivers of large and/or slow vehicles that if they are aware of a queue of traffic behind them, they should pull over and let them pass rather than hold them up and increase driver frustration?
It does. IIRC, eight vehicles.
Such is the state of driving in the UK, I can't remember the last time I have seen this done.
Never mind what the HWC says, if you have more than a dozen vehicles queued up behind you for more than a few minutes, surely common courtesy dictates that it would be wise to pull in and let them pass ?
ledfoot said:The original post said: "3 foot wide ghost island with no breaks" - I interpreted that as a statement that there were no gaps in the ghost island, rather than as a statement that the nearside line edging the island was unbroken - Streaky
That depends if the lines were unbroken or not.
I guess you did not read the original post.
The line is solid as a rock
dcb said:
Doesn't the HWC say to drivers of large and/or slow vehicles that if they are aware of a queue of traffic behind them, they should pull over and let them pass rather than hold them up and increase driver frustration?
It does. IIRC, eight vehicles.
Such is the state of driving in the UK, I can't remember the last time I have seen this done.
Never mind what the HWC says, if you have more than a dozen vehicles queued up behind you for more than a few minutes, surely common courtesy dictates that it would be wise to pull in and let them pass ?
I have seen it done, generally by tractors on country lanes and by tourists who just want to drive slowly. But I do admit it could be done more.
However, isn't it unreasonable to expect an HGV to find somewhere safe to pull over every few minutes to let the queue of cars pass? Surely the 40 limit for HGVs on A-roads was introduced when there were far more opportunities for cars to overtake than there are now? Finding an A-road with traffic that's light enough for sustained safe overtaking is a joy.
I don't know what the solution is. Even letting HGVs run at their 56mph maximum isn't ideal (though it's much better), and getting HGV limiters removed is as likely as Blair apologising for not going to Cook's funeral.
D Fender said:
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
And don't you just hate the muppets who carefully avoid (broken lined) hatching (set up to divert through drivers safely past right turners).
Come to a near standstill opposite a short right turn filter bay.
And then carefully manouvre into it so that they can turn right.
Having brought a hundred cars to a standstill behind them.
And then keep them gridlocked because they have left their tail end sticking into the inside lane!
I see an increasing use of double white lines on the offside leading up to right-turn filters. The message is that turning drivers should not get out of the way of straight-on drivers. To me, this is a clear indication of the thinking of today's road designers, intended to:
- impede the flow of traffic
- reduce driving pleasure
- increase frustration
- generally deliver the message that driving is undesirable.
Also, the art of getting as far over to the right as possible when turning, so as to allow people to get past on the inside, has largely been lost. Now it's a case of stopping in the middle of the lane to wait, ideally with the wheels already turned right so that a bang from behind pushes them into the path of oncoming traffic. What is taught in driving lessons now? Perhaps only how to turn right at ghost junctions??
This habit of ghost islands is probably contributing to the failure of accident figures to reduce.
Problem is that long straight roads are ideal overtaking positions, and are therefore accident blackspots.
This is not helped by placing speed cameras on them with the result that people either stay in a position of danger for longer, or don't overtake at all. They then overtake somewhere where it is even less safe.
Problem is that long straight roads are ideal overtaking positions, and are therefore accident blackspots.
This is not helped by placing speed cameras on them with the result that people either stay in a position of danger for longer, or don't overtake at all. They then overtake somewhere where it is even less safe.
I don't buy that it's unrealistic for HGV's to pull in - they're travelling faster than a tractor, but it's not like you'd expect a tractor to bimble along cos he might have another tractor behind him...
It's frustration at being caught up behind slower traffic that prompts people into careless and potentially deadly overtaking maneuvers and other drivers should be aware of this frustration and they should take action accordingly.
[sarcasm mode] Of course, I think the nations truckers are too used to holding people up by driving down the middle of two lanes of DC to even acknowledge what the HWC says [sarcasm mode off]
It's frustration at being caught up behind slower traffic that prompts people into careless and potentially deadly overtaking maneuvers and other drivers should be aware of this frustration and they should take action accordingly.
[sarcasm mode] Of course, I think the nations truckers are too used to holding people up by driving down the middle of two lanes of DC to even acknowledge what the HWC says [sarcasm mode off]
chrisgr31 said:
Problem is that long straight roads are ideal overtaking positions, and are therefore accident blackspots.
And is there, and where is the, evidence that accident blackspots are located along - rather than towards the end of - long straight roads?- Streaky
Edited to make it more obvious that it is a question - S
>> Edited by streaky on Monday 15th August 06:00
iaint said:
common courtesy
Unfortunately all too uncommon these days.
Do you know, I suspect that if road users were to be more courteous towards each other, we would all save time and be safer, even if actual driving skills were to remain unchanged.
I guess it boils down to attitude again.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
chrisgr31 said:
Problem is that long straight roads are ideal overtaking positions, and are therefore accident blackspots.
Had some fantastic overtaking on corners over the weekend. Unfortunately it does rather annoy other motorists who believe it is unsafe, and more importantly Mrs 7db doesn't like it.
The trick is finding the open corner or one that you can see through when you come out to the RHS to take a look.
I hate being held up by a truck as much as the next man but its not the trucks fault - usually its the one or two cars or vans BEHIND the truck and wont overtake that are the problem. How many times have I come across a line of 7 or 8 cars behind a slow moving truck, all nose to tail no-one overtaking. I am quite happy to overtake 1 or 2 cars at a time, pull back in, work my way to the front then pass the truck BUT I cant because of all the numptys tailgating. DO they REALLY think that driving 2ft from each others bumper is somehow going to get them there quicker ? Luckily this weekend I was out in the TVR so I can overtake the whole lot in one go given a gap in the oncoming traffic but otherwise I just sit there steaming...
bigdods said:
I hate being held up by a truck as much as the next man but its not the trucks fault - usually its the one or two cars or vans BEHIND the truck and wont overtake that are the problem. How many times have I come across a line of 7 or 8 cars behind a slow moving truck, all nose to tail no-one overtaking. I am quite happy to overtake 1 or 2 cars at a time, pull back in, work my way to the front then pass the truck BUT I cant because of all the numptys tailgating. DO they REALLY think that driving 2ft from each others bumper is somehow going to get them there quicker ? Luckily this weekend I was out in the TVR so I can overtake the whole lot in one go given a gap in the oncoming traffic but otherwise I just sit there steaming...
And if it's me in my truck, you wouldn't wait long for me to get over to the left so you can see, nor ease off a bit so you pop past smartly. The numpties that remain behind me, as you say, two feet apart, can wait.
......oh, and BTW, I won't be the one doing 40mph
I don't try and hold people up, but if they sit 5 feet off my arse, and expect me to pull over for them, they can think again. More often than not, I'm getting held up by something in front of me anyway. Phil
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