scoobysnacks

I live in Bedford (for my sins) and in the last few month some of my favourite local 2nd gear blast zones have become 40 zones :-( Do you get the feeling that soon you will have to venture miles out into the countryside or find a track to drive even a little bit quick on our roads legally. Interesting drives are becoming a thing of the past...

Topcat1974

The village I used to live in as a kid seems to be getting bigger... I went back the other day to look for the sweeping national speed limit bends I used to terrorise in my old Metro (no comments thanks!!! )
The road is now 30 limit...

pslewis

Great topic - yes, I have seen the roads round me go from National to 40 or 50 .................. one of them goes from national, to 40, to 50 then to 30 in the space of about 2 miles!! Bloody Madness!!

Whats going on??

Pete

PEN

speed limits...??? what speed limits... where.. what are they?? i've never noticed any.. what you guys on about?

scooby_si

U no pen those 1's the coppers r about 2 tell ya all aboutlol
Si

PEN

Thank you Si

Mr Scoobysnacks ... just a tad confused .. if you live in Bedford what were you doing in Bracknell and why are you arranging bowling and pub nights in Bracknell .. don't they have scoobies in Bedford?

just a question... i'm blond you see...
P

polarbearit

Yep, one of my favourite little bits of road has been dropped to 40 and 30, and part of my daily commute has been dropped from 60 to 40 - I asked why and they said anticipated higher volume of traffic due to a new dual carriageway... THIS HASN'T HAPPENED. If anything the road is quieter now as the new dual carriageway takes people to the motorway which they use instead. Such a shame, I even see police patrolling since they reduced the speed (didn't happen once in the 2 years I used the road every day when it was national speed limit, yet in the past 3 months I have seen 2 speed checks and 3 other Police cars there... such a shame, I enjoyed the road loads.

The irony is at the end there is a corner, which always had a 40 limit, there is no way I could do 40 round the corner, most cars do about 25, and 35 would be possible at puch in a good car, since the speed limit changed I have seen 2 people off the road at this corner, I guess they just kept going at 40! Previously people made an effort to slow and I never saw anyone off there.

STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID

Jon

scoobysnacks

Mr Pen, I believe the blonde part of you failed to notice the 's' at the end of my name. Are you getting me confused with Scoobysnack? I can't help it if someone decides to use virtually the same name, but I was here first...
Anyway back to the road thing - I reckon there is a secret (or maybe not so secret) government plan to eradicate these national speed limit roads altogether and make them all 40's with cameras for revenue. They'll probably soon declare a blanket speed limit of 40 on all country roads as well.

[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/27/2001 11:20:48 PM]

slippyr4

where in bedford are you 'snacks? i live in clapham

Beemer_Deano

Like pslewis, I've also noticed "stunted speed limit syndrome". Maybe there's some reason why they can't get rid of some national speed limits altogether but they can get away with reducing them so it's not even worth accellerating?

Squizz

I took a break from driving to work for a year, and was forced to use the train to get into central birmingham. (Nowhere to park/safe to park). [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Now I'm driving along my old haunts again, I've noticed that 50% of the derestricted sections have been changed to 40mph zones.

The A449 between Worcester/Kidderminster, which used to be a great dual-carriageway has now been butchered into an alternating single/dual stretch all at 50mph. At night, there are so many lights/lanes that it's bewildering, and asking for trouble! There are still just as many accidents - The real problem was old duffers pulling out in front of traffic and that problem is the same as it always was.

What do we have in addition? A mad, dangerous, scrum of traffic fighting over each other to pass "that one last lorry" before getting into the 50 zone. Erm, why...? He'll do 50 too, you know!! [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

(Sigh)

wilf

The problem behind all of this is that those responsible at the local authorities for reducing speed limits are about the most ignorant closed minded bunch of people when it comes to matters motoring.

A couple of years ago my local authority down in Devon took it upon themselves to spend £400k on a bus lane and park and ride scheme which no one wanted. They canned it in the end after the local paper ran a weekly check which showed that on average only 6 vehicles used the car park each day three of which didnt even then catch the park and ride but worked local to the parking.

Oh to live in Italy!

zoog

sliperyr4 an scoobysnacks:

My parents live in Clapham -Carriage drive - I long since moved to London but go back regularly an dhave a balst round the usual rds.

The B660 is a good 'un from Bedford all the way crossing over the A14 and A1, but I think the speed limits are going up on that route too. Even The car magazines mention that road as a classsic.

I drive a dark blue integrale evo BTW.

Adrian

scoobysnacks

Hi Slipperyr4 and Zoog (and everyone else in this thread), it was the stretch to Clapham from Sainsburies that prompted me to start this thread. It used to be a great 'blast from the lights' zone, but no longer. Now it's a 40... I live near Clapham towards town and own a blue MY98 WRX - have you seen me? I've seen a green Impreza in Clapham and a red one by the corner shop. Either of these yours?

[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/28/2001 1:57:06 PM]

[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/28/2001 2:00:00 PM]

zoog

Yes I got caught out on this the last time i was back,real shame you could dispense with several flat-cappers in that short burst...
but being Bedford there'd dozens more up the road!

adrian

BarryK

You might notice that many of the areas being reduced to 40 could be seen as prime building land in a few years.

How much easier then, to reduce the speed limit from the "familiar" 40 to "an easy to adjust to" 30, rather than NSL to 30 in one go, as the planning permission backhanders go in.

greeny

Even the country roads are getting it. I liv ein North Derbyshiire and in the last year two stretches of read between villages 3-4 mile stretches have been changed down to 50.

Also, maddest limit ever. Road from M1 jn40 into Dewsbury first section is dual carrageway for 1 1/2 miles to a roundabout, there are no pavements, no junctions, no bus stops nothing along this road and its just been changed to 50 limit!!!!!.