Checked the date and...............

...............it isn't the 1st of April.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/motorway-speed-limit-set-rise-80mph-163347178.html

Whilst I'm happy they may increase the limit to 80, the 'reasons' given are rubbish, to be honest.
I would suggest that most cars already use 80mph as an unofficial limit, and this would, I suppose, legalise the majority.
But how many people have been prosecuted for doing between 71 to 80 on the motorway?


This will have no effect on lorries, so any impact on the economy will be minute.

Also in a lot of areas (mainly the Midlands and the South) the level of traffic dictates the speed of vehicles anyway.

I think it would make sense to have a dual limit like France but if they really wanted to speed up traffic flow then ban all commercial vehicles from the outside lane. A lot of congestion is caused by people braking too hard because they can't see far enough ahead, or they're driving up the exhaust pipe of the car in front. If you're following a van you can't see through in the way that you can with most cars.

Totally agree David!

Here in Canada lorries/transports are not allowed to drive in the outer lane on multi lane highways unless there are only two lanes, of course, and it really does work in terms of giving the fastest drivers somewhere to go.

In Ontario the posted speed limit is 100 km/h but generally speaking the police will let you go as long as you are below 120 km/h. If the Gov't were to increase the speed limit then people would just drive that much faster. Increasing the speed limit will just increase the speed people drive by that much more. Around here there are too many people who shouldn't be driving at any speed.

mowog73 wrote: Here in Canada lorries/transports are not allowed to drive in the outer lane on multi lane highways unless there are only two lanes, of course, and it really does work in terms of giving the fastest drivers somewhere to go.

In Ontario the posted speed limit is 100 km/h but generally speaking the police will let you go as long as you are below 120 km/h. If the Gov't were to increase the speed limit then people would just drive that much faster. Increasing the speed limit will just increase the speed people drive by that much more. Around here there are too many people who shouldn't be driving at any speed.

re wagons etc. It's the same law in Britain. Doesn't stop some of them though.

Plus we have the I'm 0.00001mph faster than the wagon in front I'm going to pull out and try to overtake for the next 10 miles, blocking 2/3 of the motorway. However when we come to a hill, he's actually 0.00001 mph faster than me so he'll try to over take me if and when I do manage to get in front of him. :pinch:

Opps, I seem to have opened a can of worms here.

LGV

As a former driving instructor (cars) and currently a C+E driver (biggest I drive are 26t triple axle crane truck and 18t twin axle trailer - MGW 40 tonne and 6 feet longer than an artic) and holder of a CPC for commercial fleet managment I speak with some athority.

No commercial vehicle with a speed limiter (all LGV and most GV over 3.5t) and most large vans with reduced speed limits are allowed in the outside lane of a road with 3 or more lanes. Same for any vehicle towing a trailer, even motorbikes.

There are many factors effecting the speed of speed restricted vehicles such as weight, power, tyre wear, speedo acuracy, etc.

It is incredably frustrating to follow another vehicle that is going slightly slower than you are, even more so if that vehicle loses a lot of spped on the uphills and then picks up more speed on the downhill.

If I am driving on a 2 lane road and another LGV pulls out to pass I will let them go, either by lifting off the gas and back on or dipping the clutch and re-engaging the cruise control, either only takes a split second but is sufficiant to allow the other LGV to pass. Besides I'd rather have them in front than beside me with a 2 or 3 foot gap between us.

I get incredably frustrated by car drivers who will sit in the nearside lane at 0.0001 below my restricted speed but as soon as I move out to pass them they speed up leaving me in the outside lane not 100% sure if it is save to move in, almost as bad is the driver who'll let me pass and pull back in only for them to overtake me again because they can't simply let a lorry be faster than them.

Lane disipline

Every day in my relativily short 9 mile of drive to and from work (mostly dual carageway, some national/some 50 and some 40mph) I come up with drivers who think they should be in the outside lane because a) they are driving almost at the speed limit b) they will be overtaking another car in the next mile 3)they will be turning right at the roundabout after next in 2 miles!

Speedo acuracy

Most speedos read under by about 10%, even electronic ones.
Most people who think they are driving at 80mph now are only driving at just over 70!
You can check this with your GPS sat nav.

It's an interesting can of worms, nevertheless. :yesnod:

I agree with all your points, and have no issue with wagons overtaking, per se, just the rolling road block situation.

Actually it is a part of the Highway Code that you should slow down, if necessary, to allow someone to overtake you safely.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that 99% of drivers will claim the they are better than average, the truth is that many drivers are arrogant, aggressive, incompetent or ignorant.

Every day I'm out driving I will see many examples of poor or even dangerous driving.

I highlight:-
1/. Lack of anticipation.
2/. Driving too fast for circumstances, and/or ability.
3/. Poor lane discipline
4/. Ignorance of driving rules/law
5/. Arrogant, I'm the most important person on this road attitude.
6/. Aggressive - I'm coming - get out of the way!
7/. Lack of concentration. (Mobile phones, map reading etc.)

To me this all of this comes from a move in the last 10 years or so where speeding is the only traffic offence the Government seem to care about together with over reliance on cameras for enforcement. That's not even taking into account cameras as a revenue earner.
What we need is more proper traffic cops who can enforce the law and clamp down on all the bad driving that David mentions.
The traffic Wombles are a poor substitute for properly trained and equipped police.

Andy - most of that is due to a change of goverment - tories gave us 25yr old tax excemption - labour changed it to pre 1973, tories were giving us new roads, tony blair came to power and the following day canceled all of the ongoing and projected projects, 15 years on and we still suffer in places like Worthing and Arundel and they are just starting work on the missing section on the A23 as we speak.

andy1970h wrote: To me this all of this comes from a move in the last 10 years or so where speeding is the only traffic offence the Government seem to care about together with over reliance on cameras for enforcement. That's not even taking into account cameras as a revenue earner.
What we need is more proper traffic cops who can enforce the law and clamp down on all the bad driving that David mentions.
The traffic Wombles are a poor substitute for properly trained and equipped police.

The problem is speed cameras are easy money, requiring minimal human effort.

The general reduction in Police Officers actually policing is depressing to be honest.

We are a rural community and used to have an officer living in the community, that was ditched to save money and sell off the Police houses.

Then we had a designated officer responsible for the area, now he has gone.

Police presence in the area now absolutely ZERO. :nonod:

Oh we might get a Police Car driving through once a month. Pathetic!