J7 to J3A Go live in 4 days time ...variable speed limit ...be warned!

 

Put your plates on with velcro and then take them off just before J7

 

I believe (hope) that they only enforce the reduced speed limits, and not the standard 70mph ones.

I wonder, if congestion doesn't improve over the next couple of months, whether they will revert back to the "no cost" option, and scrap any further "experiments"?

mb

 

Well i have just driven (Northbound) up the M42!

Weather - Fine
Road Surface - Dry
Visibility - Perfect
Cloud - None
Sky - Blue
Temperature - 4 degrees
Traffic - Light
MANDATORY VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT - 60mph

Just to emphasise, traffic was light - in so much as lanes 1 and 2 (the hard shoulder was not active) had cars 100 to 200 yards apart, and for much of the time lane 3 was EMPTY!!!

There were no breakdowns, no accidents, no debris in the road, no traffic backing up from the M6 exit - NOTHING. Just a totally unneccesary reduced speed limit to show drivers how little respect the authorities have for them!

As the variable zone ended, pretty much every driver speeded up to the more usual 80mph, and the traffic volume (by distance) decreased further - proving that the active management actually impedes flow.

The whole thing stinks!!!

mb

 

The people who run this system just seem to be 'playing' with their new toy at the moment .
The other day when i drove down there all the signs were on saying congestion ahead, and we all had to slow down to 40mph and guess what NOTHING! traffic was very light anyway as you described boomer. Not impressed as i use this stretch of motorway alot.
Also why reduce the speed on a perfectly serviceable piece of motorway to 60?
bl00dy nanny government

 

I hope its just teething trouble ...I haven't managed to join @ J3 yet in just over the 2 weeks its been running (you can see the '40' signs on the J3 island & so take a detour to 4 or 5) ...its definately added a good 10-15 mins to my journey time ...still havent seen the 4th lane in operation yet either ...but the camera's are definatley LIVE

 

Like those old orange signs in the middle of motorways the new variable speed limits can be totally random; the M25 often has on gantry saying 40, the next saying 60 and then 40 again. It makes no sense; I have no idea if they are automatic or not but I'm not really convinced that they help anything traffic flow-wise.

 

The M25 Reigate section going clockwise often says 40mph for no reason other than its a hill

 

J3 of the M42 is also major problem for me with the new lights on the island, 14 mile trip to work now takes me 50 mins, as before it only used to take me 30 mins. As for the rest of the M42, WHAT THE f**k do they think there playing at?!!

 

Came up the M42, at lunchtime today and the gantry's seemed to be showing random speeds some were 60 some were 50, all very confusing !!!!

Again traffic was light, no need for silly speed limits.

 

Which direction are you coming in from Kroy?

 

From Redditch to Birmingham, on A435. What about you?

 

i agree about the lights on jct3, i do that trip everyday when im working at home. Often thought the 435 would make a nice piece of mapping road though! As long as the rozzers arn't hiding in the layby with the greasy spoon cafe just before redditch.

 

Went thro at 07:00 this morning and no signs were on, Orin Blue2 thought it was on the M25 though, came back thro' this evening at 19:30 ish and same, no signs but plenty shouting.

Agree its pants, what a waste of resourses, no one knew what to do, I ended up leading a "pack" as they recognised I would have some sort of detector in the car ... lol

bob

 

Bob did you get my mail about a week ago about my next stage of mods?

Dan.

 

used that stretch of mway last week wtf is going on 40mph then 60mph back to 40mph gotta say they have excelled themselves with this 1

 

'Variable limits' are only likely to spread arent they? The reason being that variable limits can be enforced in the interestes of road safety.....

 

Other direction ...I actually live just off the 435 (by the Car Dealership) ...lights are working ok my direction, queues are down to 10-15 cars @ 08.30 ...not that im that bothered as I always use the sliproad & join near the front of the Q (its safer than just trying to join @ rush hour!)

Actually noticed a 'flaw' in the gantry system @ the weekend ...@ about 2pm & travelling southbound the sun is directly behind the signs & you have no idea what speed they're showing!!!