Speed limits to be cut to 50

[Itchy]

https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article5864847.ece

[OssY]

Is it me or is this country going to pot???

[LeeR]

To be fair it's almost the situation we have at present, and one benefit could be a saving on signage, because at least the NSL sign can be used almost everywhere. Though all the new scamera systems will cost the tax payer a fortune.

So no change on motorways and dual carriage-ways, still 70 mph.

Trunk roads "safe A routes" will still be 60 mph.

And all the other roads currently with red zone '50' signs could now display the NSL sign and the onus is on the motorist to know it's a 50 mph zone because it's either a B road or an "unsafe" A road.

It's a little disappointing as some B roads in Wales are very good and you can do >60mph quite safely.

And some Scottish C roads (do they mean the ones in-between B and unclassified) are going to be difficult to implement their average speed system on due to them being so remote.

The thing is this is addressing a symptom, not the cause and it's this kind of idiocy that really grinds my gears.

I've said it before, but years ago there were two speed limits, 30mph for lit urban areas, and NSL for everywhere else.

But NSL was always meant to be a maximum, and you were advised to slow down for hazards i.e. junctions, schools, villages, pubs, farms, dips and bends, windy exposed areas etc...

The problem today is that motorists see NSL as an open invite to do the maximum plus some, even where it's obviously not safe.

Sadly it's these people who are killing other road users, the fact that they are stupid enough to kill themselves bothers me not one jot.
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[teech]

We've already got this where I am. The main bit of dual carriageway that goes from Christchurch, accross Bournemouth and into Poole has a 50 limit. It has 4 speed cameras.

People just slow down for them and get back up to 60/70 for the rest of it. Waste of time. Hardly ever see police on there as well.
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[G]

Rather missing the point, taking even more away from the motorist, so they have to think even less about what they're doing and can happily believe they're safe if the follow the numbers on the side of the road .

[Tango675]

So we have got 12 months of decent motoring ahead before its 50mph on all the good roads, sky high fuel prices, road tax doubles, average speed cameras everywhere and caught 2 times before a ban.

Ladies and Gentlemen we have lost the battle!
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[inchi55]

He obviously gets the train and does not drive much then. cost small companys millions slowing down deliveries and pissing off commuters having to spend longer getting to and from work.
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[Asharin]

[ish765]

Yay. Good news, at least for those of us who don’t feel a need to push it where ever we go.

In a car (or on a bike) I find it far more enjoyable to go that little bit slower. Why the rush? The fact is speed does kill, you just don’t have time to react to unforeseen things going 70 on rural roads (like many do). The statistics have some truth in them, I don’t think they are just doing it for some power trip.

Unfortunately the people involved in fatal accidents are not around to comment, but I know what there families would say.

Having been to Canada where it is much lower I can say I find it a FAR better system, people are just so much more relaxed. On top of that you have lower Carbon emissions, maintenance costs, Fuel costs, ect. It’s not going to make a trip much slower. 10% at the most.

I am always catching people who have passed me at junctions anyway? They are just paying more fuel, breaks, ect, and have more stress.

Unfortunately many people don’t seem to drive sensibly and are Impatient, (which is the real problem) If they did they would not be doing this. So really we only have ourselves to blame.

Also the (limit) is seen as a goal. Only today I was out on the bike on a county road being pushed by a car, over the limit. I bet he though that was “normal” speed. A pheasant then walked onto the road right in front of me. I took it in my stride but I would feel better if I was doing 10 mph less.
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RXS100 On the Road.

[Skudd]

i would leave the limits alone and have retests every 5 years. The standards of driving/riding are so poor, not because the test or the tuition is poor, but because drivers/riders dont retain or just ignore what they have been taught. Some actively disregard any of what they have been taught.
How many times do you see the middle lane road hogger on a motorway? We all know, or should do, that we drive on the left unless otherwise specified, and the other lanes are for overtaking. many can't get that basic thing right.
Retest every 5 years, if your licence is important to you then you will make sure you are upto standard.
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[yen_powell]

What happens about all the associated lower national speed limits then? Vehicles towing trailers, HGVs, large vans, all these currently have lower speed limits on single track NSL roads.
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[iooi]

More interesting is how that webpage has gone from...

[G]

Ish, I shall take your bait:
What's the rush - life is short and there's lots I'd like to get done and not that much time to do it in. My Dad died on the roads while going very slowly, something which has always been a reminder to me to enjoy life to the full while I have it.
You enjoy going slowly, which is nice for you - but other people, I hope you can understand, presumably get similar enjoyment from going faster.
Similarly, plenty of people do get stressed going slower and for the majority cost of motoring is based mostly on pleasure not saving money - otherwise everyone would be driving at 40mph in Citreon AX diesels.

Speed kills because you don't have the time to react to things at 70? Well, given different circumstances, you are in the same position at 50 or 40. Better restrict everyone to 30, to be sure. Probably get even better fuel consumption and many less kittens killed!

The issue to me, as suggested above, is not with speed, but inappropriate speed/lack of observation. I would much prefer that people observe that there could be something ahead you may need to react to ahead and slow down, than presume that because they're doing a new slower speed limit, they must be fine.

Maybe the families of people killed while speeding would like to blame it on the government for not forcing their family members to go slower, but I think that's a rather tenuous reason to force all the people that do practice good observation to slow down.

With average speed cameras enforcing a 50mph limit, single carrigeways will easily become 40mph averages, as one person realised the were a bit over for a while and slow down.
This is likely to encourage people to overtake dangerously.
Over all journey times could easily be significantly increased when compared to driving safely on an unlimited road.

A quick google reveals some basic stats showing 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people in Canada, yet only 6.1 per 100,000 people in the UK. So I'm not sure the Canadian slower speed limits do help that much, really. Perhaps they should look at increasing them to make their drivers think about the situation a bit more?

At the risk of sounding like certain with-out-a-cause rebels on here, taking all risk out of life will lead to a very boring existence.
We are very insulated from Death in this country and this can often severely affect people's lives when they do experience it.

If we really care about human life in general, perhaps we should make an effort to help some parts of the world where most probably the number killed on the UK roads in a year are easily killed on some single days.

[Stelmer]

The government has implemented far too many safety measures that it is now doing the opposite. There's a term for it but I cannot think what it is.

Slow the cars down and all you get is tailgating, less alert drivers, impatient drivers overtaking, etc......

There's a term for it but I cannot think what it is.

[twostroketit]

This is just crap! when i started driving we didn't have speed limits everywhere,people drove at a speed that felt safe,thats human nature. Speed does not kill. The goverments own statistics have been shown to be wrong on this matter. Where is this all going to end? This government was elected by us to serve us.Who asked for this speed limit? Were the puplic even consulted on this matter?
Quite often when i'm driving i get held up by someone who is driving "safely" 10 mph under the speed limit holding reams of cars up. These people are now going to be going 10 mph under the new limit instead,so now everybody will be driving at 40mph,people will get irate and try and overtake whenever possible ,safe or not,. Accident rates will NOT go down after this limit comes in. I would state a lifetimes beer money on that.
I do anticipate an increase in scamera vans to cope with the increased workload though
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[chris-red]

So veichles get safer have better handling and better brakes and yet limits are being cut. Wheres the sence?
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[stinkwheel]

I don't obey the current speed limit.

I see no reason why I should/would obey this one if it comes into force.
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[Itchy]

[stinkwheel]

[ish765]

[krebsy]

Loads of the Oxfordshire roads have been reduced down to 50mph already, not as part of this but I think the councils get a bigger share of the road cash pot as it re-classifies them as Urban...

On the route home I preffer the narrow, twisty, bumpy, waterlogged and deer strewn country backroad (when in the car) as even though this route mirrors the main road, it's faster despite being "much more challenging".

When the A road is clear, most people tank along it anyway so it's was a pointless excercise reducing the limit.

K.
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[multijoy]

Far be it from me to doubt the Times' veracity, but if the government were going to announce such a dramatic change, I would expect to see something on DFT website.

The Independent has the following:

[Kal]

Most accidents on these roads, certainly single vehicle accidents - the most common serious accident on these roads (sorry collisions), happen at speeds over the current 60mph limit...

Not sure how lowering a limit that is already being ignored will assist...

[Kickstart]

Hi

[ish765]

Kickstart, I still feel comfortable with my feelings on the matter.

I could argue the point but (as with any weak argument) you are saying I said things that I didn’t, i.e. “enjoy going round corners (fast)”????

So why should I bother, you don’t even have the decency to read accurately, and I’m meant to take your points or research seriously? Don’t bother to answer that it was rhetorical.
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