New speeding rules next week, don't forget....

[Confused®]

In Manchester we have had average speed cameras in place on the motorways for a while now due to works, to be honest I have never felt safer on the motorway as everyone is doing the same speed, maybe this is the way forwards . Albeit a little more than 50mph.

[DPG]

Yeah, now those artics can sit on your chuff all the way to work.

[Ducklakeview]

On my recent cough, SAC the stats given were that in 2015 there were 1,732 road fatalities a decrease of 41 from 2014. When you think that in 2000 the number was 3,409 or more than double and in 2006 the figure was still 3,172 Of those 1,732 - 507 were pedestrians and cyclists, so I would think only a VERY small number of those would have been on a motorway at the time. Source; https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... s-2015.pdf

Percentage wise, motorways accounted for a very small proportion of those figures, something like 100 people, which when you consider that the number of vehicles on the road has increased from around 27.2 million in 2000, to around 31.7 million last year....

Motorways are our safest roads, and personally I see no harm in raising the speed limit to 90, as I previously stated. People who aren't comfortable at that speed will simply stick to the 50, 60 or 70 that they are happy with now.

Just my 2p in this 'ole can of worms I seem to have opened!

Mike

[Ducklakeview]

In Manchester we have had average speed cameras in place on the motorways for a while now due to works, to be honest I have never felt safer on the motorway as everyone is doing the same speed, maybe this is the way forwards . Albeit a little more than 50mph.

Likewise, I wouldn't have a problem if they were to line the country with SPECS and the likes on motorways, provided they increased the limit...

Mike

[mmm-five]

Yeah, now those artics can sit on your chuff all the way to work.

Or when you're boxed in with a truck on your left, a white van man on your right, other cars about 2 metres behind & in front of you.

You just know that if there is an accident, it will involve lots of vehicles as they're so closely packed, and there's nowhere to 'escape' - although it may not have any fatalities as you're all going the same speed.

I was regularly driving those 50MPH limits on the M6 (J11-J14, Stafford to M6 Toll) for over 4 years going between Liverpool & London. Was so happy when they disappeared. Unfortunately they were replaced by another effin set a few miles further up the motorway (J16-J19, Stoke to ) for the next 4 years. Then they'll be starting on the next phase (J13-J15). It never effing ends - 12 years of roadwork-induced delays, to ave a couple of minutes over the next 10 years, where they'll decide they need some more roadworks

I'd leave home at 5am, and invariably fail I'd turn onto the M6 from the M56 or M62 (depending on roadworks at Runcorn) and by J19 I'd be stuck in a queue for 15-60 minutes. God knows what it was like at peak times. I eventually got so fed up that I'd go cross-country for a couple of junctions, just to keep moving.

Even when I've managed to miss all the traffic by leaving very early or late, I'm still stuck at 50mph in L1, by myself, with no sign of workers behind their concrete barriers

So yes, I do tend to put my foot down a little when I'm out of these average speed camera zones.

I would of course welcome the option of using public transport, but even on my worst days driving, I still manage to get into the office (by Brentford) in less time than using the train - and it also doesn't cost me £318 for a standard open ticket; or £90 for an off-peak ticket if the boss would let me turn up at 1PM and leave by 1PM; or if I spent more cash on a hotel for Sunday night & Friday night I could also use an off-peak ticket, but then what's the point of going home for 1 night. It would also mean 3 train changes (Liverpool to Euston, 2 tubes, then a bus).

[petach]

Most of the EU has a 130km/h limit on motorways. Funny that we have been so enthusiastic adopting other EU-wide directives/legislation etc but choose not to adopt that one.

The UK (at last count) had 31 deaths per 1 million population. All other European countries had higher death rates. Most were 40-59 deaths per 1 million and some over 80 per 1 million. People may say there are lies, damned lies and statistics. But what else is there to prove a point?

But are you looking at motorway casualty rates or all roads? I'm talking about motorway speed limits. If we set all road speed limits to 20mph we'll have the safest roads in the world but at what cost to our society as a whole? Yes death and serious injury will be very low but so will our productivity too. The point being that road safety is not the only consideration to take into account when setting speed limits. And we have a productivity issue compared to our EU rivals.

In 2016, about 8 % of road deaths took place on motorways; 37 % in urban areas; the majority (55 %) happened in rural areas.

[petach]

For those interested enough......a good read!

http://etsc.eu