I am sorry about this but ........
Discussion
Why can't we have a blanket speed limit of 50MPH on motorways and dual carriageways ?
Having driven at around 50MPH through roadworks on the M42, the road seems so much safer, and there is less stress about overtaking the car in front because he is going slower than me.
The M42 has a trial SPECS type speed camera system which if approved will apparently become live on all motorways in England.
I normally drive at around 90MPH on my journey to work on the motorway network, and no, I am not telling you which motorway, but I can honestly say that I would feel less stressed at work if the speed was restricted to 50MPH, backed up by speed cameras of course.
Am I the only one ?
Having driven at around 50MPH through roadworks on the M42, the road seems so much safer, and there is less stress about overtaking the car in front because he is going slower than me.
The M42 has a trial SPECS type speed camera system which if approved will apparently become live on all motorways in England.
I normally drive at around 90MPH on my journey to work on the motorway network, and no, I am not telling you which motorway, but I can honestly say that I would feel less stressed at work if the speed was restricted to 50MPH, backed up by speed cameras of course.
Am I the only one ?
Bl00dy hell fella, asking for a flaming there! 
But I do know what you mean, in very heavy traffic and in poor conditions it does make sense, and it is less stressful, to drop your speed. Done it myself. But what about when you're on an empty motorway, at night say, and you could safely do 100 mph. Blanket limit of half that? That would stress me out.
>> Edited by BruceV8 on Friday 14th November 22:15
But I do know what you mean, in very heavy traffic and in poor conditions it does make sense, and it is less stressful, to drop your speed. Done it myself. But what about when you're on an empty motorway, at night say, and you could safely do 100 mph. Blanket limit of half that? That would stress me out.
>> Edited by BruceV8 on Friday 14th November 22:15
and have a drink and think about what you have just posted 
ledfoot said:
Why can't we have a blanket speed limit of 50MPH on motorways and dual carriageways ?
Am I the only one ?
i would most definatly think so mate as personally my answer to your question is 2 words and the second one is 'off' (you can choose from s
d,ps or fk for the first word)the suggestion of a 50mph speed limit has a simple reply.......your having a chuckle!!....tell you what,if that is the case then maybe we should all go back to model a fords,steam and traction engines and rationing while we are about it......also lets remove the 5th (and 6th if fitted) leg on our gearboxes too as they wont be needed will they! afaik the point of car developers fitting driver aids like traction control,power assisted braking,well sorted suspension,a.b.s,safety cells and airbags to help the novice,normal and even advanced drivers feel safer during not just normal town driving but also higher speed journeys on a-roads and motorways so why bother with any of it if you are going to have to sit behind 2 lanes of doddering old farts in micras doing 49.5 (occasionally dropping to 43mph when reaching for the worthers) and not being able to overtake in the 3rd lane because of either roadworks or some gobshite with a scameravan sitting on a bridge nabbing everyone doing 0.01mph over 50 and hitting you for £60 and 3 points even though your only passing the cretins to help stop roadrage breading its ugly head between other road users who are stuck in a line waiting to pass yourself and said cretins but cant because of the same reason!
your idea would turn the whole motorway network into a moving roadblock with constant brake dabs and probably causing more accidents because everyone is on 'speedo/talivan/specs and gatso watch' and not concentrating on whats going on around them.your idea would simply facilitate the p-ing off of people who would like to just get to their destination in a reasonable and sensible amount of time......its like swapping the intercity 125 in for one of those old dodgy c2c 'clunkers' or retiring concorde before building a suitable replacement(oh yeah,thats already happened hasnt it!....another royal f-up-the-a for all of us!)......so whats the point of that??
drivers need to be taught about lane discipline and the appropriate use of speed,not just constantly lower speed limits for everyone as this is just stupid!
>> Edited by cortinaman on Friday 14th November 22:47
Well the prime problem with reducing the speed limit to 50mph would be the additional time it took everyone to get anywhere.
I currently do 30,000 miles ayear. Lets say I currently average 50mph. Thats 600 hours of driving or 25 days. If I cut my average speed by 20mph my 30,000 miles now takes 1,000 hours or just over 41 days. That won't do a lot for my productivity at work!
However there may be a case for the imposition of more variable limits like those on the south west quadrant of the M25. Assumming they do work, and improve traffic flow, and someone here is bound to know if they do, then I think they should be introduced on all major trunk roads.
I currently do 30,000 miles ayear. Lets say I currently average 50mph. Thats 600 hours of driving or 25 days. If I cut my average speed by 20mph my 30,000 miles now takes 1,000 hours or just over 41 days. That won't do a lot for my productivity at work!
However there may be a case for the imposition of more variable limits like those on the south west quadrant of the M25. Assumming they do work, and improve traffic flow, and someone here is bound to know if they do, then I think they should be introduced on all major trunk roads.
- StreakyChrisgr31 said:.... and if you raised the limits and your average to 70, you'd probably (and maybe a few other too) be DEAD in 12 days IMHO.
I currently do 30,000 miles ayear. Lets say I currently average 50mph. Thats 600 hours of driving or 25 days. If I cut my average speed by 20mph my 30,000 miles now takes 1,000 hours or just over 41 days. That won't do a lot for my productivity at work!
Just a thort: but in the USA they have a much lower blanket limit (which works!) and its hell of a bigger place than the UK.
We all need to chill.
Chrisgr31's right. Some of us spend a lot of our time on the road, and increasing that time is not a good move. It reduces productive time and means we spend less time with families and friends.
Renault reckons that space is the greatest luxury. Actually it's time. Throughout the last century we've done as much as possible to increase the amount of time we have -- vacuum cleaners, washers, cars, Concorde -- and now we're going backwards with decreasing limits and increasing congestion.
Renault reckons that space is the greatest luxury. Actually it's time. Throughout the last century we've done as much as possible to increase the amount of time we have -- vacuum cleaners, washers, cars, Concorde -- and now we're going backwards with decreasing limits and increasing congestion.
lordb said:Erm... how do you work that out? There certainly seems to be very little evidence that supports that view.
.... and if you raised the limits and your average to 70, you'd probably (and maybe a few other too) be DEAD in 12 days IMHO.
lordb said:No they don't, limits are set by individual states, some as high as 80mph. This increase in speed limits has produced few deaths and injuries on te roads.
Just a thort: but in the USA they have a much lower blanket limit
lordb said:Obviously not
(which works!)
lordb said:Finally a bit of sense
...and its hell of a bigger place than the UK.
We all need to chill.
.lordb said:
.... and if you raised the limits and your average to 70, you'd probably (and maybe a few other too) be DEAD in 12 days IMHO.
Just a thort: but in the USA they have a much lower blanket limit (which works!) and its hell of a bigger place than the UK.
We all need to chill.
Hmmmm but as the US is a much bigger place the need to do the mileage is much less in the first place. Not only that but they will fly between their major cities whilst we drive.
Your mention of raising limits is also a red herring as I never mentioned increasing limits! Although of course there are literally millions of occasions every day when speed limits are broken, but there aren't accidents every time!
The UK has some of the safest roads, and the current speed campaigns don't appear to be reducing them further. However the current speed campaigns are affecting those who rely on their licence for work, effectively limiting their productivity, and therefore effectively increasing their cost to their employer. The result will be lower wages, less taxes, and higher prices. Not something that is good for UK PLC.
Not only that but I believe that on the occasions when I cruise on the motorway at 60mph I am actually a greater danger to myself and other road users as I am not paying as much attnetion to my surrpundings.
If I was ever to exceed the speed limit I would be keeping a careful eye out for police cars if nothing else!
As cars become more comfortable and easier to drive, and speed limits reduce further I suspect we will see an increase in accidents as people feel more cocooned and safe in their luxurious mode of transport meaning they pay less attention to what is going on around them.
I believe we need increased driver education, increased awareness of the risks, more signs advising where the accident blackspots are, increased enforcement of driver skills and speed at those blackspots, when this happens we should see accident figures fall.
The current obsession with speed cameras on straight roads is unlikely to be effective.
ledfoot said:I can't see the need for a general speed limit for the speed you feel comfortable with.
Why can't we have a blanket speed limit of 50MPH on motorways and dual carriageways ?
You may always travel lower than the speed limit, when you want to do so.
When I'm driving in the 2CV or the Landrover on the autobahn, my travel speed is 80kph, although there is often no speed limit at all. It works just fine!
I'm not jealous at other cars that have the capability to drive faster, and actually do so; and I see no need to restrict the efficiency of mobility because I don't want to drive faster.
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