2 different speed limits on the same road
Discussion
Anyone know if this is legal? Having the limit as 30mph going in one direction and 50mph in the other direction? The road in question is not a duel carriageway, but has 2 lanes in both directions, just no central reservation. Seems odd that the traffic going one way has to go so much slower than traffic going the other way on the same road 
(edited to make grammatical sense!)
(edited to make grammatical sense!)
Edited by Moose. on Monday 15th January 10:37
Moose. said:
Anyone know if this is legal? Having the limit as 30mph going in one direction and 50mph in the other direction? The road in question is not a duel carriageway, but has 2 lanes in both directions, just no central reservation. Seems odd that the traffic going one way has to go so much traffic going the other way on the same road
Unusual....
Seems a bit weird to limit a road to 30 (presumably due to pedestrian presence, etc) but almost A-road speeds the other way. Maybe an admin error - are the signs new? Or is one set new?
I can beat that... On the sliproad up to the A11 at Attleborough in Norfolk there are a pair of nice NSL signs. Great except that you're emerging on the roadworks which have a 40 limit. I'm guessing that the speed limit is 70 for people emerging from the sliproad, 40 for those people already on the road until you get to the first 40 repeater.
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
I have encountered a road with different speed limits for traffic travelling in different directions. This is not at roadworks. It's where traffic going from a NSL to a 30 encounters a brief 40 zone but traffic leaving the 30 goes straight to NSL. See diagram:
Edited by SamHH on Monday 15th January 12:33
I seem to recall that there are incidents when a different limit can apply but at the moment cannot put my finger on the reference. An idea being that they want you to slow down coming in and get you out faster going out.
It will all depend what is in the Traffic Regulation Order as to what is lawful.
TVRgit may have some info. He seems clued up on these matters.
dvd
It will all depend what is in the Traffic Regulation Order as to what is lawful.
TVRgit may have some info. He seems clued up on these matters.
dvd
Definitely encountered scenario as described by SamHH overseas but not in UK.
I can see how it could easily be dealt with and signed on a dual cabbageway but a shade problematical on a SC surely?
Signage possibly not too difficult on a SC but how would the TRO be worded? Traffic proceeding in the direction of....??
I can see how it could easily be dealt with and signed on a dual cabbageway but a shade problematical on a SC surely?
Signage possibly not too difficult on a SC but how would the TRO be worded? Traffic proceeding in the direction of....??
This section of the A5 is like that, mind you it is a dual-carraigeway, 40mph going south, 50mph going north, the funny thing is there is a speed camera on the 50mph side, you would think it would make more dosh in the 40mph section.
www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=403505&y=306475&z=3&sv=403505,306475&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=403505&ay=306475
www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=403505&y=306475&z=3&sv=403505,306475&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=403505&ay=306475
Edited by slowly slowly on Monday 15th January 17:42
Dwight VanDriver said:
I seem to recall that there are incidents when a different limit can apply but at the moment cannot put my finger on the reference. An idea being that they want you to slow down coming in and get you out faster going out.
It will all depend what is in the Traffic Regulation Order as to what is lawful.
TVRgit may have some info. He seems clued up on these matters.
dvd
It will all depend what is in the Traffic Regulation Order as to what is lawful.
TVRgit may have some info. He seems clued up on these matters.
dvd
Aw gee DVD you'll make me blush. And there was me thinking nobody ever noticed li'l ole me...
As far as I know, a speed limit applies to a length of road, ie "between points a and b", not "from point a to point b" to minimise (possible deliberate) misinterpretation as applying to 1 direction only. I have always understood that, for that reason, you cannot impose different speed limits in different directions on the same carriageway, under 1/93 as DVD says - so unless there is some more recent statutory instrument or amendment to RTRA, then I don't think it's legally competent to do that. I am not completely up to date on that though so I could be wrong. I have certainly never seen it or heard of it being done (properly) on UK roads.
I think that for a dual carriageway (ie a separate carriageway for each direction) you can specify "direction of travel" in the TRO schedule (or rather, you can schedule different lengths of "northern carriageway" and "southern carriageway" separately).
supermono said:
I can beat that... On the sliproad up to the A11 at Attleborough in Norfolk there are a pair of nice NSL signs. Great except that you're emerging on the roadworks which have a 40 limit. I'm guessing that the speed limit is 70 for people emerging from the sliproad, 40 for those people already on the road until you get to the first 40 repeater.
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
I think 'they' would be in trouble with that. The repeater's no good on it's own, for a limit to apply proper full size speed signs signs have to be posted on both sides of the carriageway. They should have been put on the slip road before you joined the roadworks - possibly they were there, and had fallen over?
deva link said:
supermono said:
I can beat that... On the sliproad up to the A11 at Attleborough in Norfolk there are a pair of nice NSL signs. Great except that you're emerging on the roadworks which have a 40 limit. I'm guessing that the speed limit is 70 for people emerging from the sliproad, 40 for those people already on the road until you get to the first 40 repeater.
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
I think 'they' would be in trouble with that. The repeater's no good on it's own, for a limit to apply proper full size speed signs signs have to be posted on both sides of the carriageway. They should have been put on the slip road before you joined the roadworks - possibly they were there, and had fallen over?
Not quite.
If you are joining a dual carriageway then you don't need speed limit signs on the slips if the first repeater on the main road is within a certain number of metres from the top of the slip. Normal practice IS to put up a pair of signs (because then you can't be wrong) but you don't necessarily have to.
tvrgit said:
deva link said:
supermono said:
I can beat that... On the sliproad up to the A11 at Attleborough in Norfolk there are a pair of nice NSL signs. Great except that you're emerging on the roadworks which have a 40 limit. I'm guessing that the speed limit is 70 for people emerging from the sliproad, 40 for those people already on the road until you get to the first 40 repeater.
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
How they can play so fast and loose with such a valuable safety tool as the speed limit is beyond me...
SM
I think 'they' would be in trouble with that. The repeater's no good on it's own, for a limit to apply proper full size speed signs signs have to be posted on both sides of the carriageway. They should have been put on the slip road before you joined the roadworks - possibly they were there, and had fallen over?
Not quite.
If you are joining a dual carriageway then you don't need speed limit signs on the slips if the first repeater on the main road is within a certain number of metres from the top of the slip. Normal practice IS to put up a pair of signs (because then you can't be wrong) but you don't necessarily have to.
What, even if, as in the situation supermono quotes, you pass through NSL signs on the sliproad?
Sorry, didn't read supermono's bit properly, I was really just replying to your reply.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
Unfortunately I don't know the road so can't give a definitive.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
Unfortunately I don't know the road so can't give a definitive.
tvrgit said:
Sorry, didn't read supermono's bit properly, I was really just replying to your reply.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
Maybe you are *expected* to slow down for the repeaters, but the limit is not legally enforceable unless it starts with twin red circled speed limit signs.
deva link said:
tvrgit said:
Sorry, didn't read supermono's bit properly, I was really just replying to your reply.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
No i think that if there's a pair of NSL on the slip and then you're expected to slow for main road repeaters, that sounds a bit dodgy right enough.
Maybe you are *expected* to slow down for the repeaters, but the limit is not legally enforceable unless it starts with twin red circled speed limit signs.
Yes it is in the circumstances I described. You do not always need twin circles on slips if the first repeater is within a certain distance of the top of the slip. Most authorities think it's safer just to do it because then there's no argument, but you don't always have to.
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