Government Could Raise Speed Limit

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:52:29 -0000, "GT" wrote:

"Nuxx Bar" wrote in message
...
Nice to have a halfway sensible Transport Secretary at last. Oddly,
he seems to share with me and others the "delusion" that the anti-car
lobby use safety as an excuse to keep speed limits down.

Isn't it despicable to tell lies about road safety when it's literally
a matter of life and death? How do such people sleep at night? Well,
Guy?

http://www.businesscar.co.uk/story.a...93&c=2&theme=0

Government could raise speed limit

11 March, 2011

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is considering raising the motorway
speed limit to 80mph in order to shorten journey times and boost the
economy.

Gets my vote. Perhaps they should also introduce some compulsory motorway
training for drivers who have passed their driving test.

Hammond claimed the anti-car lobby used road safety as an excuse both
to oppose raising the speed limit and to campaign for more 20mph zones
in cities and towns.

20mph limits round schools also gets my vote.



Bit of course cyclists will still be able to ignore such a limit.

--
Stopping distances for bicycles do not appear in the HC ... and so
cannot be of any consequence.
(Simon Mason - who cycles at 25mph in 20 mph limits - and thinks it's clever)

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:32:33 -0700 (PDT), FrengaX wrote:

snip


Comnplely OT for a cycling newsgroup, especially as we're talking
motorways, where bicycles are not allowed.


So why the **** respond to another post in the same thread three minutes later?

What a ****** - you make Mason look bright.

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:06:35 +0000
Judith wrote:

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:32:33 -0700 (PDT), FrengaX
wrote:

snip


Comnplely OT for a cycling newsgroup, especially as we're talking
motorways, where bicycles are not allowed.


So why the **** respond to another post in the same thread three
minutes later?

What a ****** - you make Mason look bright.



I love the way you hate what all the cyclists have to say but feel
compelled to read it all anyway - it must make you really annoyed.

On 14/03/2011 15:46, GT wrote:

A very similar point to that of reducing the motorway speed when its busy -
too many cars and everyone slows down anyway - reducing the limit just makes
sure that traffic can't make good progress when it does clear!

Not true - it increases the capacity, at a guess by smoothing the flow
of traffic.

Sure, if it's not cleared when the traffic has gone away, then it's
counterproductive, but I'm guessing Mr Firth might have something to say
on that subject.

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:15:18 +0000
Clive George wrote:
On 14/03/2011 15:46, GT wrote:

A very similar point to that of reducing the motorway speed when its busy -
too many cars and everyone slows down anyway - reducing the limit just makes
sure that traffic can't make good progress when it does clear!

Not true - it increases the capacity, at a guess by smoothing the flow
of traffic.

Sure, if it's not cleared when the traffic has gone away, then it's
counterproductive,

Thats the problem though - the people in charge of the signs just leave them
set for hours after the problem has gone. Taken over the period of a few hours
they probably cause more traffic problems that they solve.

but I'm guessing Mr Firth might have something to say
on that subject.

Along with 101 other subjects and areas he's alleged to have worked in.

B2003

On Mar 14, 4:15*pm, Clive George wrote:
On 14/03/2011 15:46, GT wrote:

A very similar point to that of reducing the motorway speed when its busy -
too many cars and everyone slows down anyway - reducing the limit just makes
sure that traffic can't make good progress when it does clear!

Not true - it increases the capacity, at a guess by smoothing the flow
of traffic.

Sure, if it's not cleared when the traffic has gone away, then it's
counterproductive, but I'm guessing Mr Firth might have something to say
on that subject.

So even you see a downside to speed limits being set unnecessarily
low. A good example of how you're different to Chapman, Jackson etc.

On Mar 14, 2:05*pm, Nuxx Bar wrote:
Nice to have a halfway sensible Transport Secretary at last. *Oddly,
he seems to share with me and others the "delusion" that the anti-car
lobby use safety as an excuse to keep speed limits down.

Isn't it despicable to tell lies about road safety when it's literally
a matter of life and death? *How do such people sleep at night? *Well,
Guy?

http://www.businesscar.co.uk/story.a...orycode=7093&c....

Government could raise speed limit

11 March, 2011

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is considering raising the motorway
speed limit to 80mph in order to shorten journey times and boost the
economy.

Hammond claimed the anti-car lobby used road safety as an excuse both
to oppose raising the speed limit and to campaign for more 20mph zones
in cities and towns.

Despite Britain having some of the safest roads in Europe – and by far
the safest motorways – Hammond said safety alone should not determine
speed limits but that a cost benefit analysis should also be factored
in.

The government is also considering bringing in more variable motorway
speed limits, which fall when traffic is congested and rise when roads
are empty.

Although fuel consumption is up to 20% higher at 80mph than 70mph,
Hammond dismissed speculation that speed limits could actually be cut
to reduce consumption.

UK motorway speed limits are lower than in many other European
countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Ireland. Parts of the
German autobahn network are unrestricted with no speed limits.

There were 132 deaths on UK motorways in 2009.

Is it just me, or is this gesture politics of the cynical kind ?

Certainly in weekdays, most cars are going at least 80mph - most
faster. You get the odd car pootling at 70, but as a rule they don't
cause any delays.

Of course the real impact will be that the cars that currently feel
happy doing 80mph (the majority) will presumably feel just as happy
doing 90mph.

Do I take it we've solved peak oil then, if we can afford to fritter
away a finite resource so easily ?

On 14/03/2011 16:44, Jethro wrote:

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is considering raising the motorway
speed limit to 80mph in order to shorten journey times and boost the
economy.

Is it just me, or is this gesture politics of the cynical kind ?

Not just you. Nice easy way for the minister to get some positive
coverage, and he doesn't have to actually do anything - I rather doubt
he'll go ahead and do it.

On Mar 14, 4:50*pm, Clive George wrote:
On 14/03/2011 16:44, Jethro wrote:

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is considering raising the motorway
speed limit to 80mph in order to shorten journey times and boost the
economy.

Is it just me, or is this gesture politics of the cynical kind ?

Not just you. Nice easy way for the minister to get some positive
coverage, and he doesn't have to actually do anything - I rather doubt
he'll go ahead and do it.

You may be right, but why specifically would he not want to go ahead
and do it? The majority want it, as you presumably agree by saying
"positive coverage". It would indeed boost the economy. So surely
it's a "no-brainer"? Yes, he'd have to run the gauntlet of the
screeching, dishonest, emotive car-haters pretending it was going to
be a safety disaster, but they are not (and never have been) remotely
representative of the will of the public. Once it had gone through,
it would help the Conservatives, I'm sure. It would also strike a
blow for common sense and show the car-haters' true agenda when
(surprise surprise) accidents didn't go up as a result.

On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:35:06 -0700 (PDT), FrengaX
wrote:

On Mar 14, 2:52*pm, "GT" wrote:
"Nuxx Bar" wrote in message
...
Nice to have a halfway sensible Transport Secretary at last. *Oddly,
he seems to share with me and others the "delusion" that the anti-car
lobby use safety as an excuse to keep speed limits down.

Isn't it despicable to tell lies about road safety when it's literally
a matter of life and death? *How do such people sleep at night? *Well,
Guy?

http://www.businesscar.co.uk/story.a...orycode=7093&c...

Government could raise speed limit

11 March, 2011

Transport secretary Philip Hammond is considering raising the motorway
speed limit to 80mph in order to shorten journey times and boost the
economy.

Gets my vote. Perhaps they should also introduce some compulsory motorway
training for drivers who have passed their driving test.

Hammond claimed the anti-car lobby used road safety as an excuse both
to oppose raising the speed limit and to campaign for more 20mph zones
in cities and towns.

20mph limits round schools also gets my vote.

I'm against the speed humps and blocks on 1 side of the road that are
currently used to enforce them, but can't see a viable alternative - labour
have spent all the money, so we can't afford police or speed cameras any
more. We have a few schools round here that have 30mph or 40mph roads
passing them. At the appropriate times of day, they have the flashing 20mph
signs and drivers seem to actually slow down - I definitely do. I would
prefer to see more of these for a start.

As long as such 20mph limits are only in force during school hours,
e.g. indicated by flashing lights. There's nothing more ridiculous
than having to crawl past a school at 20mph at 3am, or in the middle
of the summer holidays (provided there are no extra-curricular
activities going on at the time).

The extra-curricular activities are a canard. The times you need the
traffic calming are when children are arriving or leaving. You are
more likely to encounter unsupervised kids around a shopping mall than
around a school at any other time.

Won't someone please think of the children...

--

Ian D