Southwick Tunnel

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

dougdeep said:
Your two examples have speeds of about 5 MPH, whereas at the Tunnel they are often doing 80MPH+

In my example there were cars coming in varying directions, often not indicating and, especially at The Vogue Gyratory, changing lanes and cutting across each other. Compare that to a dual carriageway, oh and it's perfectly driveable at 80 MPH thanks to ABS, power steering etc.

Oh, 5 MPH ? at The Gyratory...... :rotlf:

LamieRobertson · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
In my example there were cars coming in varying directions, often not indicating and, especially at The Vogue Gyratory, changing lanes and cutting across each other. Compare that to a dual carriageway, oh and it's perfectly driveable at 80 MPH thanks to ABS, power steering etc.

Oh, 5 MPH ? at The Gyratory......

But then nor every vehicle has ABS etc..and maybe would like to stick to the speed limit?

MissGull · Jan 15, 2014

The vogue gyratory is terrible and the amount of buses moving through seem to compound the problem. Most people tend to need to change lanes at some point on the gyratory and it just doesn't work. Plus people are trying turn into Sainsburys & the BP garage too

Stuart Munday · Jan 15, 2014

MissGull said:
The vogue gyratory is terrible and the amount of buses moving through seem to compound the problem. Most people tend to need to change lanes at some point on the gyratory and it just doesn't work. Plus people are trying turn into Sainsburys & the BP garage too

All that pointless work on Lewes Road and yet one of the most dangerous bit of road in Brighton has been left untouched, the cycle lanes just disappear.

WATFORD zero · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
Compare that to a dual carriageway, oh and it's perfectly driveable at 80 MPH thanks to ABS, power steering etc.

At 80mph your power steering, if not variable and still active, will have next to no effect. If your ABS is cutting in at 80mph, you may well be heading for a fairly significant problem :facepalm:

But carry on

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

LamieRobertson said:
But then nor every vehicle has ABS etc..and maybe would like to stick to the speed limit?

My point was that it is easily driveable at 80 mph, ergo, people driving 70mph or lower should find it even easier.

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

WATFORD zero said:
At 80mph your power steering, if not variable and still active, will have next to no effect. If your ABS is cutting in at 80mph, you may well be heading for a fairly significant problem

But carry on

Weird post ? abs "cutting in " ?

I was trying to say that with the advances in steering and braking technology, driving at 70-80 mph round a very slight bend on a dual carriageway should not present much of a problem. Hope this helps ?

Psychobilly freakout · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
My point was that it is easily driveable at 80 mph, ergo, people driving 70mph or lower should find it even easier.

I tend to agree with you, doing the drive five days a week as long as driving conditions, traffic, and visibility are good I have no concerns doing 80mph on the approach and through the tunnel. Having said that there are days when you can tell hang on here people are pushing me at 60 or 70 or 80mph to get past me and I just think ah go on then let them past and drive at a more sensible speed it is all about the three conditions, "traffic, and visibility" that makes my choice.

WATFORD zero · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
Weird post ? abs "cutting in " ?

I was trying to say that with the advances in steering and braking technology, driving at 70-80 mph round a very slight bend on a dual carriageway should not present much of a problem. Hope this helps ?

What I was saying is that neither power steering or ABS have any effect on the safety of driving around a slight bend at 70-80 mph. (ABS only "cuts in" if you brake so hard as to cause the car to lock the wheels - hence Anti lock Braking System).

foul old ron · Jan 15, 2014

Well whatever the problem is I wish they would stop crashing cos it seriously cocks my day up. Probably doesn't improve the one of those involved either.

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

WATFORD zero said:
What I was saying is that neither power steering or ABS have any effect on the safety of driving around a slight bend at 70-80 mph. (ABS only "cuts in" if you brake so hard as to cause the car to lock the wheels - hence Anti lock Braking System).

Oh no, now you have confused me. So my ABS will only cut in if I brake really hard to avoid a collision, or take evasive action and my wheels lock thus avoiding an accident ?

And that the power steering that means I only need to turn the steering wheel a fraction compared to the good old days when you had to give it 3-4 whole revolutions of the wheel to get a full lock does not help me either ? Well why do they bother putting them in cars then ?

WATFORD zero · Jan 15, 2014

I'll give it one last go.

Power steering is designed to lessen the effort required to turn the wheels, particularly when the car is stationary or at very slow speeds. At high speeds the effort required to turn the wheels is not significant and therefore power steering is not required.

ABS is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking and cadence braking (putting the brakes on and off very quickly). If you brake sufficiently hard to activate your ABS at 80 miles an hour, you will not be in control of the car (although you would have better control than with no ABS).

Therefore, neither ABS or power steering are designed to improve the safety of taking bends at 70-80mph.

LamieRobertson · Jan 15, 2014

i'm boring i tend to stick to speed limits.....more importantly i'd love to know the stats for accidents within say a mile either side of the tunnel ..there does seem to be so many accidents on that stretch or am i imagining it.

Icy Gull · Jan 15, 2014

WATFORD zero said:
I'll give it one last go.

Power steering is designed to lessen the effort required to turn the wheels, particularly when the car is stationary or at very slow speeds. At high speeds the effort required to turn the wheels is not significant and therefore power steering is not required.

ABS is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking and cadence braking (putting the brakes on and off very quickly). If you brake sufficiently hard to activate your ABS at 80 miles an hour, you will not be in control of the car (although you would have better control than with no ABS).

Therefore, neither ABS or power steering are designed to improve the safety of taking bends at 70-80mph.

My Alfa has an interesting safety feature, if you brake hard the hazard warning lights come on.

WATFORD zero · Jan 15, 2014

Icy Gull said:
My Alfa has an interesting safety feature, if you brake hard the hazard warning lights come on.

The new Alfas have a great new styling feature where the doors automatically lock and a voice says 'You are not driving THIS car in THOSE shoes'

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

WATFORD zero said:
I'll give it one last go.

Power steering is designed to lessen the effort required to turn the wheels, particularly when the car is stationary or at very slow speeds. At high speeds the effort required to turn the wheels is not significant and therefore power steering is not required.

ABS is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking and cadence braking (putting the brakes on and off very quickly). If you brake sufficiently hard to activate your ABS at 80 miles an hour, you will not be in control of the car (although you would have better control than with no ABS).

Therefore, neither ABS or power steering are designed to improve the safety of taking bends at 70-80mph.

Right, so then its no good as I won't be in control of my car .... although I will be better able to control the car if I do have it. I think that puts us back to my original point.

Eksman · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
Oh no, now you have confused me. So my ABS will only cut in if I brake really hard to avoid a collision, or take evasive action and my wheels lock thus avoiding an accident ?

And that the power steering that means I only need to turn the steering wheel a fraction compared to the good old days when you had to give it 3-4 whole revolutions of the wheel to get a full lock does not help me either ? Well why do they bother putting them in cars then ?

Your power steering makes no difference at high speeds what so ever. It's mainly for turning at low speeds and parking

WATFORD zero · Jan 15, 2014

vegster said:
Right, so then its no good as I won't be in control of my car .... although I will be better able to control the car if I do have it. I think that puts us back to my original point.

I've seen the error of my ways, you've convinced me that ABS and Power steering are essential when cornering at 80mph

vegster · Jan 15, 2014

WATFORD zero said:
I've seen the error of my ways, you've convinced me that ABS and Power steering are essential when cornering at 80mph

Not essential, just handy bits of equipment to have that can prevent a shunt. I had a succession of rusty old cars due to cost but after a happy divorce splashed out 6K for a very low mileage Toyota Yaris I heard the salesmans blurb about all the flash features but did not take it all in at the time. After a about 10 days I was driving through town at a reasonable 28mph when a woman sitting in a parked car decided to fully open her drivers door and get out... I was maybe 8 yard away when she did it.

Thats when I found out I had ABS for the first time. My natural reaction was to brake hard and try to turn to avoid the inevitable collision. So, I braked HARD and turned to avoid the door.. and just slowed dramatically and steered around without losing control. I was amazed. Now I know that at my example of 80mph I't won't be the same but I am pretty sure I can throw the anchors on quite hard and maintain a fair bit of control. Therefore the amount of shuntage and people running on to the verges is beyond me.

LamieRobertson · Jan 16, 2014

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1093..._says_MP_after_latest_Southwick_Tunnel_crash/

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