60 mph motorways

[NMNeil]

Not only 60 mph speed limits, but some will have 40mph limits.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/5467/60mph-motorway-...
It says temporary, but that's like saying a new tax is temporary

[NMNeil]

Showing your age

[NMNeil]

David-p5d5m said:

Well, I guess the question is, what would be your quick solution for reducing local air pollution instead?

Do you have a better idea?

There is no quick solution, it's taken us over 100 years to get where we are today and that damage cannot be corrected overnight.
Long term solutions, without going electric.
Make it a serious criminal offense to tamper with or remove any emissions control equipment. By serious I mean upon conviction crush the car. Prosecute companies who sell items or services to bypass emissions controls, such as remapping, cat delete etc.
Reduce the number of cars on the roads by setting a cap on how many cars can be registered for the road. As of 2019 there were 33 million, which is too many for a small island.
Copy Japan who only allow you to buy a car if you have a parking space within 2Km of where you live, and they check.
Improve public transport, and at the same time start gradually removing public parking spaces from inside city limits
Start there and wait for the screams

[NMNeil]

bigothunter said:

Any other opportunities for NOx reduction beyond just cars?



https://marketbusinessnews.com/nitrogen-dioxide-da...

Yes there are. But it makes sense to concentrate on the biggest polluters first.

[NMNeil]

livinginasia said:

Great thread resurrection !

Its about time Highways England were called to account over this - although we can expect some interesting stats rather like the ones Khan has massaged to justify the ULEZ expansion, I suppose.

The war on the motorist needs to be reduced.

And what's your suggestion to stop a war that was started by the actions of a small minority of motorists?

[NMNeil]

bigothunter said:

NMNeil said:

livinginasia said:

Great thread resurrection !

Its about time Highways England were called to account over this - although we can expect some interesting stats rather like the ones Khan has massaged to justify the ULEZ expansion, I suppose.

The war on the motorist needs to be reduced.

And what's your suggestion to stop a war that was started by the actions of a small minority of motorists?

Brought this on themselves...

For the greater good...

Just leave earlier...

Unable or unwilling to answer?

[NMNeil]

livinginasia said:

NMNeil said:

And what's your suggestion to stop a war that was started by the actions of a small minority of motorists?

I have hundreds of suggestions:

Stop ULEZ expansion as it was signed off using massaged figures.

Remove “smart” motorways and put them back to having a hard shoulder and instead of variable speed limits, use the signs to remind traffic to keep left unless overtaking and police them properly

Remove parking enforcement by ANPR - if you want to charge for parking, make people buy a ticket and employ someone to check them.

Widen the roads again in the City of London and re install the bus stops that are now in live traffic lanes back to where they used to be.

Re phase traffic lights to keep traffic moving and stop turning red to stop traffic for no reason

Reduce tax on fuel

Return a lot of the recently reduced speed limits to where they were for the last 50 years…….

So many more …… this could take all night…..

ULEZ I agree on, as the ICE engine is on the way out so any expansion is pointless.
Smart motorways: I have no experience of and can't comment.
If you don't enforce parking restrictions the whole of London would come to a standstill with drivers parking wherever they liked.


Widen the roads yes, and use that extra width for more dedicated bus lanes and protected cycle lanes, not to attract even more cars.
Traffic light phasing, yes, agreed. Keep the traffic flowing.
Governments rarely if ever reduce taxes, they increase them, no matter where you live.
You know my position on speed limits, but you need to be able to stand up and say "We need to be able to drive faster because". Tricky one that.
As in many things, the actions of a small minority fk it up for everyone else.

[NMNeil]

bigothunter said:

NMNeil said:

You know my position on speed limits, but you need to be able to stand up and say "We need to be able to drive faster because". Tricky one that.

Not tricky at all. Speed is of the essence to transport efficiency. Victorians sought faster travel enhancing the economy and lifestyle of the general population. Elon Musk recognises the importance of high speed with his 760mph Hyperloop proposal (San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes).

So how can time saving be irrelevant in the case of road transport?

Mass transit and the private car are vastly different.

[NMNeil]

bigothunter said:

NMNeil said:

Mass transit and the private car are vastly different.

Hyperloop can only accommodate 18 to 24 passengers. More than a car but hardly mass transit.

Inference is that public transport is the way forward for long distances, whereas the private car should be relegated to local trips where speed is relatively unimportant. Do you agree?

I don't believe the hyperloop will come to anything. Way too much investment needed building it to ever make it economic. "Leaked financial documents in 2016 suggested that Musk’s Hyperloop would cost as much as $13 billion, or $121 million per mile" You will either have to charge a hefty ticket price to ride on it, or expect it to break even after a few decades. And think how much energy would be needed to keep the tubes at near absolute vacuum. I hope I'm wrong, but can't see that it has a future.
As for cars just being for local travel, I don't think that one size fits all. But you already have an alternative that covers both long distance and local using the same method as the Eurotunnel. Drive to Dover, drive onto a train and drive off in Europe. It's being used here in the US on a small scale, but could easily be expanded. Best of both worlds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w6j8SpLCF4

[NMNeil]

bigothunter said:

I've travelled on Eurotunnel on many occasions. Certainly efficient but what a grim experience

I'd rather travel by ferry and enjoy the crossing...

Never used the tunnel but often went on the Folkstone to Boulogne ferry booze cruises back in the day.
As the Beatles once sang on Back in the USSR "On the way the paper bag was on my knee". I even used to get queazy on the Woolwich ferry