scoobynutta555

Anyone noticed any significant changes in their local speed limits since the gov't has asked local councils to 'review' their limits?

Over the past 6 months I've seen a 50 to a 40, several 40's now 30 and a lot of 20 mph signs (Luton). Even major trunk roads haven't been spared and are now 30 mph. I stared in disbelief at the new limits on a major A road through the town (A6 among others). This is just getting ridiculous. In 5 years from now what's stopping them from reducing speeds even further? I used to enjoy driving, but now having to stick to these utterly stupid new limits you have to crawl everywhere for fear of being banned at previously legal speeds. Where do they find these jobsworths from?

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

I haven't noticed loads of changes so far, time will tell, but there is one road which has gone from a 60 to a 40. I can honestly say I have no idea why, as there is very little nearby, and I'm not saying there has never been an accident before (I don't know), but it's not a road renowned(sp) for being dangerous.

swampster

iTrader: (1)

It's all an effort to put you off driving...the lets make it a tedious experience, and they'll not want to do it mentality.

The other thing the gets on my t*ts is the introduction of middle of the road islands every 50 yard up every sodding road there is. I imagine the emergency service love them as they make is damned near impossible for them to make speedy progress up the middle of the road, and then some dumbass slams on his brakes on the slightest inkling of a siren noise... no matter where its coming from, and they nearly always manage to stop exactly between the kerb and an island effectively making a road block!!

GC8WRX

Its so they can hide with a camera, and catch you doing over 40, thus make money!

GC8WRX

And which tw@ thought it was a good idea to pave over bus stops, and make them stop in the middle of the road, completley blocking it while some old lady takes half an hour to count out the change for the bus driver!

Im sure the government want no drivers on the road at all!

And red ken pissed me off when he "re arranged" all the traffic lights in london, so they are on red longer, just before he brought in the sh1tty congestion charge, with the idea of putting them back to normal 2 years after the charge has started. He could then say "journey times have been reduced". pr1ck im glad hes gone!

But our local council have done the same, in town i can count 30-45 seconds where no traffic is moving cos ALL traffic lights are on red!

They say its for pedestrian safety, but if it takes you 30 secs to cross a road, your useless and deserve to die anyway!

Abdabz

I am above the law. Well OK I am not because two country lanes where I live have had their limits reduced from 60 to 40.
The only reason I can think of for this is to allow hedhghogs and pheasants a better chance when playing snooker or backgammon on these roads together... There quite literally is no other possible reason.
As a result, I continue to drive down these roads at speeds I always have. I keep an eye open for safety cameras but these are open lanes, miles of open cross field round bend visibility, well drained, never an accident on quiet lanes...
Ray Charles with conjunctivitus couldnt crash on these roads

Still, there isnt a safety camera in the whole St Helens borough - so I shouldnt complain too much

Leslie

We have got a fair number of 20 mph limits which appeared suddenly, mostly in places where it was not necessary and encourages motorists to break the law which is in my view a complete failure as well as being unfair.

Les

Tam the bam

After we move, I'll have a 30ish minute drive to work (currently about 7min or 4 if I use my private road) along artificially lowered limit roads which also now has those bloody islands every 30 yards, oh the joys

MattW

I've also noted that between villages close together the speed limit no longer reverts to 60 so you have a mile of 30 between them.

Martin2005

But lowering the limits in built up areas is a good thing surely? If it saves lives then I'm all for it, if it's all about fining people then I'm against it.

Tam the bam

Lowering a dual carriageway from NSL to 50, (A dual carriageway with bridges/underpasses every 50 yards for public crossing, has fences on either side, is straight as hell, had very very few accidents etc, etc!) then putting mobile cameras on it, purely for revenue, has **** all to do with safety!

Martin2005

Why post the bleedin obvious? which part of my thread stated that I supported speed restrictions on anything other than genuine safety grounds?

I'm lost as to why you responded to my post in this way

Suresh

Lowering limits blindly leads to frustrated and as a result, careless drivers

My local council admitted to me that they -
Made most minor roads within the city limits 30kmh (20mph) zones because they simply just could. Theory being that nobody objects to a "life-saving measure", regardless of appropriateness. This is the typical socialist (nanny) state at work.
Made some of the speed bumps way too big originally but have no intention to adapt them.

Makes my blood boil and also causes me to drive like a total ****** too (where almost appropriate)!

Klaatu

It seems people aren't keeping up with current affairs. Lowered speed limits will do nothing to save lives, but will reduce once carbon emissions.

cster

I like 20 mph zones with speed humps.
I just leave it in first and cane it between humps.
You know they will never have a speed camera and these cars are a bit twitchy on part throttle in first. Changing down from second to first on the move is just not an option.
I do feel sorry for the poor tossers who live in these areas, but I guess they can always vote for change in our glorious and trully democratic state.
ps I never exceed 20 mph

BOB.T

If you look here, http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics...ainresults2006 you'll see that only 675 pedestrians were killed in 2006, there was 30,982 pedestrain casulties.

I don't think that's bad! If you consider the number of cars on the road, the miles each car covers it all becomes insignificant.

scoobynutta555

But you forget their cliche, "even one is one too many."

boxst

In some instances reducing the speed limit is okay (outside schools) but some of it just defies logic. Like one of the posts above, some of the national speed limit roads around me have been reduced to 50 or even 40 for no apparent reason at all.

It amazes me that 60 mph was deemed safe all those years ago with cars that were basically driven with pieces of string and brakes made of sponge, but now with ABS, airbags, well made cars (even Fiats) that the limit now has to be 40 or 50 ...

Steve

Steve

BOB.T

One isn't enough in some cases though

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

We have a dual carriageway (about 1 mile long) going past my work place which is in a residential area which is on both sides of it.
There is a bridge near one end and a pedestrian controlled set of traffic lights at the other.
A young mother was recently knocked down and killed whilst pushing her pram over the dual carriageway at night,the driver in question wasn't speeding,car wasn't defective yet a death still occured why? because the stupid women didn't use the bridge that was about 40 feet further down the road and was so pissed she wasn't thinking properly.

She has left a young child motherless and a driver scared for life because she didn't use any common sense so why is the onus always on drivers?

Leslie

Didn't you read what we were saying? No one was objecting to sensibly applied speed limits, only to those places where they are lowered unecessarily. That is a particularly stupid thing to do for all the reasons which were quoted.

Shoiuld we get the man with the red flag out again?

Les

SVXNUT

Please remember,any alterations are not legally enforceable if Planning permission has not been issued, with the resulting publishing and enquires.
Lots have got off around here because the council b***ered that up around here. They are back to normal now.

Martin2005

Les

we seem to be violently agreeing on this

Leslie

Had you said such a thing then I would have been ever so friendly in agreeing with you

Les

Leslie

Thats a handy bit of information-thanks for that.

Les

Dowsie WRX

In the town where i used to live but still work....South Woodham Ferrers, they now have a group of residents that stand out in various "hot spots" around the town and point a camera at you if they think your speeding!

They have the backing of the local plod as well.....apparetly when caught your details (reg plate only i guess, because they don't pull you over) is sent to the local police station and you then recieve a nice letter 'advising' you to watch your speed. Apparently if caught 3 times, the police have the powers to chrage you.....

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

I've never understood this - what makes a speed limit legally enforceable? LA's can't just change them can they as they could change all to 20mph just to increase speed scamera revenue. How is it that a road gets a speed limit in place in the first place?

There's a road near me with 3 lanes (2 in one direction), no houses, no schools, no T junctions. It's just a road & nothing else. Speed limit is not 60mph, it's not 50mph, it's not 40mph, it's f*cking 30mph

TX.

Leslie

I seem to remember some time ago that if they wanted to change a speed limit, that road had to be made de-restricted first. I suppose they have changed all that though.

Les

SVXNUT

Another prime tip. The signs at the entry to the limits have to be illuminated either internally or externally. This means that in a lot of rural situations where there is no power supply to the signs, they limit changes are not enforcable either.

boomer

Have a read of ABD - Speed Limits - How to Object as well as other stuff at ABD - Speed Limits

mb