[Travel] Speed camera switch on

AlastairWatts said:

Maybe I'm wrong, but I simply regard the whole thing as a nonsense. The so-called 'Safety Partnerships' are unelected and responsible to no-one. The worst organisation of all is something called Brake, which has charitable status and sticks its oar whenever possible. It's worth remembering that the 70 mph speed limit was introduced in the '70's by Barbara Castle, then transport minister. Car design, handling, braking and accident survivability has improved no end since then, to say nothing of seat belts, although I also seem to remember that they were promoted on TV by Jimmy Savill. Time to raise the limits

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drew said:

Like every speed restriction, it is a limit, not a requirement. You should always drive to the conditions upto whatever the limit is.

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lost in london said:

I think you're wrong. No-one really needs to go faster than 70. It genuinely doesn't get you there noticeably quicker.

Motorways run far more smoothly at busy times when they drop the speed limit down to 50, it stops the pillocks who speed up, slow down over and over and cause all the emergency braking behind them and the concertina effect. I would imagine the same principle applies to the 70 mph limit - if you pushed it up to 80, you would get a greater spread of speeds on the motorway, leading to more accelerating and braking and more of the concertina effect as people brake behind.

The only way to solve it all is to bring in self-driving cars and let them drive themselves on motorways.

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AlastairWatts said:

Maybe I'm wrong, but I simply regard the whole thing as a nonsense. The so-called 'Safety Partnerships' are unelected and responsible to no-one. The worst organisation of all is something called Brake, which has charitable status and sticks its oar whenever possible. It's worth remembering that the 70 mph speed limit was introduced in the '70's by Barbara Castle, then transport minister. Car design, handling, braking and accident survivability has improved no end since then, to say nothing of seat belts, although I also seem to remember that they were promoted on TV by Jimmy Savill. Time to raise the limits

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drew said:

Like every speed restriction, it is a limit, not a requirement. You should always drive to the conditions upto whatever the limit is.

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hans kraay fan club said:

There are thousands of narrow / bendy rural roads in this country where even in the most perfect conditions imaginable, it would still never be safe to drive that stretch at 60mph. What sense is there for the legal limit on those stretches to be higher than it would ever be safe to drive them?

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lost in london said:

I think you're wrong. No-one really needs to go faster than 70. It genuinely doesn't get you there noticeably quicker.

Motorways run far more smoothly at busy times when they drop the speed limit down to 50, it stops the pillocks who speed up, slow down over and over and cause all the emergency braking behind them and the concertina effect. I would imagine the same principle applies to the 70 mph limit - if you pushed it up to 80, you would get a greater spread of speeds on the motorway, leading to more accelerating and braking and more of the concertina effect as people brake behind.

The only way to solve it all is to bring in self-driving cars and let them drive themselves on motorways.

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BensGrandad said:

Noticed a speed camera van on the A27 going east just before the roundabout near Kingston turning in to the town and HMP.but the interesting point which may be missed is that the advisory signs of speed cameras was laying down on the middle grass verge unable to be seen until you actually pass it. I wonder if anybody caught would consider contesting it on those grounds, if it is possible.


ps Is that the same one reported in the above post.

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BensGrandad said:

Noticed a speed camera van on the A27 going east just before the roundabout near Kingston turning in to the town and HMP.but the interesting point which may be missed is that the advisory signs of speed cameras was laying down on the middle grass verge unable to be seen until you actually pass it. I wonder if anybody caught would consider contesting it on those grounds, if it is possible.


ps Is that the same one reported in the above post.

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Simster said:

The speed awareness course I went on was genuinely quite interesting. Granted I wouldn't have chosen to go on it, but so many people were not aware of what the national speed limit meant, or the exponential braking distances, or even the definition of a dual carriageway (I was guilty of that one!). Definitely a good scheme rather than blithely fining people in my view.

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trueblue said:

I regularly drive on the M25 well beyond midnight and all too often there will be miles of empty road reduced to as low as 40mph, seemingly in anticipation of queues for the roadworks ahead (roadworks that may or may not actually exist). Driving at 40mph in those circumstances feels downright dangerous with only the occasional lorry for company, tanking down behind you at 70mph and not expecting some idiot to be doing half that for no apparent reason.

I’m a very steady driver generally, quite happy with 65-70 even when the road’s empty, so I’d be pretty hacked off to get a ticket in those circumstances. We’ll see...

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Brovion said:

A pedant writes ... It was December 1965. Initially it was a 'temporary measure', but was made permanent in 1967. It was brought in after a string of accidents in fog. The authorities reckoned (rightly) that they were caused by people driving too fast for the conditions.

I think variable speed limits are the way to go. There are times when frankly 50 might be a bit fast, and other times (modern car, empty road, good conditions) when it could be 80. And therein lies the problem of course - anybody who even suggests that the limit could be raised in certain conditions will get howled down.

PS - For the likes of Stat Brother: I don't own a car, so I'm not saying this for my own self-interest.

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kjgood said:

Now I'm on my soapbox regarding motorway speed limits, I also agree with some of the points raised here, but wish to add a couple of my own. As one of the more ''mature'' members of the forum I remember owning vehicles in the past that are now considered classics such as a Triumph Vietesse MK 1, Ford Cortina Mk 1, Ford Cortina Mk 2 1600E, and an old Norton Jubilee and Commando for the bikies amongst us. I also seem to remember somewhere in the back of my mind that the speed limit was brought in about 1970 ish due to the fuel crisis at the time but could be wrong.

Its fair to say that there was far less traffic on the roads in the late 60's early 70's so there were less things to bump into, but compared to vehicles on the road today the vehicles I owned then were absolute death traps. Try doing 70 MPH in a MK1 or 2 Ford Cortina (If they would reach 70 mph) its frightening, they didnt steer, hold the road or stop, tyre technology was still in its infancy and drum brakes!!!!!!!!!! no traction control, no braking aids, no collision warning, anti skid, airbags etc.

I dont have data but I know my current vehicle which is a saloon car will stop at least in half the distance my old Triumph did and that was a sports machine at the time. Its time in my view that the motorways are controlled more sensibly and at times 70 MPH should be able to be exceeded, they have been doing that on autobahns in Germany for years on selected stretches outside of areas where there are no intersections or other narrower or more dangerous locations, bridges etc.

I do believe though that people should drive at a speed safe for the conditions of the road, weather and traffic flow at the time, if that is less than 70 mph so be it, but the same stands if its safe to drive over 70 mph.

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