Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: mantahatch on 14 July 2012, 12:31:29
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18840110 Looks like a lot of national speed limits will go.
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The EU keeps prompting its member states to reduce road deaths. Despite this some countries aren't doing very well.
Here in Spain they are proposing a blanket reduction in the national speed limit on country roads. They are dangerous compared with say motorways or some urban roads.
The last Uk government wanted to do a blanket reduction but the cost of changing all the signs was a problem. I believe the current government thinking is to reduce the speed limit at blackspots i.e. sadly where people have lost their lives.
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
Wel said. :y But sadly that won't increase revenue income ::)
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
Tell me about it >:(
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
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Ideally - plenty of well trained,experienced,sensible cops who know whats what. Can turn a blind eye to going a bit too quick on an empty road early in the morning,but wont hesitate to throw the book at morons who endanger other road users.
And very ideally - they have the right to summarily execute drunken/drugged up/dangerous drivers. :)
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I have seen a few national speed limit roads go to 40mph lately her in Wales, but the problem I see mostly is not the speed limit, but the drivers on the road. Most problems I have come across are people who can't stick to their own lane or people simply driving too slow and driving too close to the car in front etc, driving too slow is just as dangerous as driving too fast, even when the road is not suitable for 60mph but it is still safe to do 45-50mph in the majority of cars I have come across people doing 15mph in a national speed limit, you the wait for a stretch of road that is long enough and has a clear enough view to overtake safely without exceeding the speed limit and these idiots have the nerve to flash you and beep their horns making hand gestures as you pass.
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I like the signs that light up they look so pretty ;D
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Ideally - plenty of well trained,experienced,sensible cops who know whats what. Can turn a blind eye to going a bit too quick on an empty road early in the morning,but wont hesitate to throw the book at morons who endanger other road users.
And very ideally - they have the right to summarily execute drunken/drugged up/dangerous drivers. :)
IMO that is the wrong way around. You are saying let everybody drive badly, then police it. Why not teach everyone better in the first place?
Refering to another comments about light up signs looking pretty. Around here, those signs that tell you your speed, placed in villages in particular are very effective. People really do slow down when there is a big red sign flashing reminding you what speed you are doing.
Furthermore, until it is realised that speed is not the major problem, and by dealing with that aspect you are treating the symptom not the cause, then nothing will really change. Of course there will less deaths due to accidents at 50 mph are less painful than those at 70 or 80. But the amount of accidents will not reduce greatly. Just how hurt the people are. Yes, we need to reduce the deaths, but blanket reduction in speed limits is not the long term answer. Another case of, as stated before, dealing with the symptom, not the cause.
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You can't tell the majority of drivers anything nowdays >:( >:(
It would be a invasion of there human rights
They all feel that they can drive how they want and every accident is somebody elses fault
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I agree that drivers should be educated to drive properly,but when you encounter those who wont learn......... ;)
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I agree that drivers should be educated to drive properly,but when you encounter those who wont learn......... ;)
Then they don't get a drivers license. In the same way that if you take an exam to be a qualified (insert profession of your choice) and fail, then you don't become a whatever is in the brackets.
Revoke bad ones. Like MOT licenses get revoked if the tester screws up. And other professionals get licenses revoked for wrong doing.
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I've got a great idea that has never been tried that would virtually eliminate road deaths and cure unemployment at the same time.
Make every car slow down and make everybody aware of their presence by having a man with a red flag walk in front of the vehicle.
Doh, I'm only bringing back what we used to have. :o :o :o
Zero speed means zero accidents and zero deaths, the fact that society can't and won't work is a minor detail, wait for the EU directive on this with the following special exempt groups where there jobs and mobility are the most important in society: Politicians and senor trade unionists.
Alternatively, and even better idea, why doesn't the EU create a single currency, maybe call it something along the lines of the Euro, get the Club-med countries to join at noncompetitive exchange rates so they get very poor and go bankrupt, they then can't to import any oil and buy cars, so they revert to riding donkeys.
Doh, I'm not having a good day, I just read they've already done this one as well. :o :o :o
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When Europe was embroiled in the Libya fiasco, Spain was very concerned about its oil security and more or less overnight brought in a lower national speed limit. All those 1000's of 120 signs were changed literally overnight to 110.
A few weeks later they were all changed back. Never did find out if it actually saved on imports or not. It was however very unpopular.
Maybe signs that can be changed for a central control room would be better (poor driver low speed, Omega driver higher limit) ;D
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Rods. Your Red Flag Man employment scheme wouldn't work, as none of the British yoof would be prepared to do the job! ::) So we'd have to have loads more immigrants to do it!! :-\ Maybe the job should only be open to under 30 year old girls from Ukraine, Romania, Hungary etc That'd slow people down!! :y
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
Re tests for those that have passed a far easier test in their early years. Motorway test, or no motorway use. The plain fact is the standard of driving is apalling in the uk. The underlying cause of which is money. Imigrants on a non uk license with far less stringent tests. Older drivers that simply can't cope with any speed over 25mph. Much less use their mirrors.
The country is in a very real danger of grid lock in so many areas not just road use. Let's not add to it. Ffs half the country dribble along at 40 in the national speed limit anyway.
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I dribble when I'm not even driving.
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
Re tests for those that have passed a far easier test in their early years. Motorway test, or no motorway use. The plain fact is the standard of driving is apalling in the uk. The underlying cause of which is money. Imigrants on a non uk license with far less stringent tests. Older drivers that simply can't cope with any speed over 25mph. Much less use their mirrors.
The country is in a very real danger of grid lock in so many areas not just road use. Let's not add to it. Ffs half the country dribble along at 40 in the national speed limit anyway.
You forgot the majority of sh1te drivers - middle-aged perfectly capable individuals who simply can't be @rsed to drive courteously or safely because the only important thing on the road is them getting themselves where they are going.
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
Re tests for those that have passed a far easier test in their early years. Motorway test, or no motorway use. The plain fact is the standard of driving is apalling in the uk. The underlying cause of which is money. Imigrants on a non uk license with far less stringent tests. Older drivers that simply can't cope with any speed over 25mph. Much less use their mirrors.
The country is in a very real danger of grid lock in so many areas not just road use. Let's not add to it. Ffs half the country dribble along at 40 in the national speed limit anyway.
You forgot the majority of sh1te drivers - middle-aged perfectly capable individuals who simply can't be @rsed to drive courteously or safely because the only important thing on the road is them getting themselves where they are going.
Yes, sincere applologies. Most of them driving a certain Marque of car. That they seem to think drives itself, pumps its own tyres up, and services itself. Without any input from the owner. Just because it says so on the dash. Amazing. Truly.
Apparently we used to be a great country. Oops. Sorry I've turned into a Daily fail reader. :(
;D
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Living as I do in the country and having to use 'B' class roads to get to any of the main routes I can say that the majority of drivers I encounter are, quite simply, driving much too quickly for the prevailing conditions, so I do have a degree of sympathy for the proposal.
However, in our version of the real world where central government takes the easy route towards whatever flavour their legislative dish of the day is to assume and delegates the responsibility for ramming the contents of it down our throats (whether we like it or not) I can see this as being yet another clusteropps on the road to increased costs for those of us who have no alternative but to use private transport.
I can almost see the wheels - and the Pound signs - beginning to turn within the heads of many council officials who will, no doubt, attempt to divert some of the fines from the inevitable breaches of the new limits towards bolstering their own dwindling financial resources, taking the view no doubt that one should never pass up an opportunity to bleed the cash cow, devilishly masquerading as motorists, whenever possible.
Like many other strains of legislation formulated by central government there is a degree of justified good sense here but, looking at the historical precedent, things are likely to go teats-up when the droogs at local council level are given the right to implement such legislation.
Having been a police advanced driver I can still open up when I need to (although I was never as good as some of the people I worked with) but given the appalling standards of driving now being shown by many drivers – particularly young women – I tend to keep the speed well within the posted limits, especially on the ‘B’ roads I use.
So, even though this move to alter limits has the mouth-breathing smack of the Liberals about it, I’m prepared to accept that something needs to be done – perhaps more (sensible) Peelers on the roads rather that speed cameras, or is that just the ramblings of a demented Den?
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Well, I fully expect to be breaking these new speed limits on my push bike on some of the roads round here (and those who know me know that I'm hardly super fit ;D).
Will I be altering my driving riding style? Nope. :P
I really can't see where the resources are going to come from to police these new limits anyway so it'll be business as usual.
The problem is that rural roads can't be driven by numbers. Some stretches are safe well over the current limit, others require slowing to walking pace. If the current level of driving skill means that the roads have to be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator that's where we are. I'll continue to hone the judgement that has served me reasonably well on such roads in the past except when it's icy. ::)
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Well, I fully expect to be breaking these new speed limits on my push bike on some of the roads round here (and those who know me know that I'm hardly super fit ;D).
Will I be altering my driving riding style? Nope. :P
I really can't see where the resources are going to come from to police these new limits anyway so it'll be business as usual.
The problem is that rural roads can't be driven by numbers. Some stretches are safe well over the current limit, others require slowing to walking pace. If the current level of driving skill means that the roads have to be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator that's where we are. I'll continue to hone the judgement that has served me reasonably well on such roads in the past except when it's icy. ::)
;D
Can you get a speeding ticket on a push bike :-\
Nanny state ::)
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
Re tests for those that have passed a far easier test in their early years. Motorway test, or no motorway use. The plain fact is the standard of driving is apalling in the uk. The underlying cause of which is money. Imigrants on a non uk license with far less stringent tests. Older drivers that simply can't cope with any speed over 25mph. Much less use their mirrors.
The country is in a very real danger of grid lock in so many areas not just road use. Let's not add to it. Ffs half the country dribble along at 40 in the national speed limit anyway.
You forgot the majority of sh1te drivers - middle-aged perfectly capable individuals who simply can't be @rsed to drive courteously or safely because the only important thing on the road is them getting themselves where they are going.
Very true. Blaming the poor driving standards on immigrants or BMW drivers is just a means of sidestepping the real issue. The driving tests should be more rigourous. I say this as someone who has seen my better half pass the test when I felt she was not ready to. And she was not 17 when she passed the test! She was a lot older. I for one am shocked by the number of young women drivers who are playing with their hair, applying make up, doing eyelashes or yakking on the phone whilst driving. Why? Jumping yellow lights is another thing that winds me up. Where are you going to in such a hurry that you feel the need to jump a yellow (that too usually very late)?
You need some form of reassessing the standards of driving on a regular basis. It might be inconvenient, and cost money, but I cannot think of another way of maintaining standards of reasonable driving. Punitive measures in the form of loosing your ability to drive is the other way you can get people to drive sensibly. At least IMO.
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You need some form of reassessing the standards of driving on a regular basis. It might be inconvenient, and cost money, but I cannot think of another way of maintaining standards of reasonable driving. Punitive measures in the form of loosing your ability to drive is the other way you can get people to drive sensibly. At least IMO.
Agreed. You don't get pilots going through their entire career, stepping up from one type of aircraft to another, etc. without a bit of retraining and regular assessment. No reason it should be any different for drivers. The situation that you have this rite of passage called the driving test at 17 which makes you supposedly a competent driver until you pop your clogs or lose your eyesight is just madness.
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...and add in the fact that, afaik, there is no training what so ever for motorway driving, meaning we have an entire populous thinking their own version of the rules is correct, one might argue its amazing anybody reaches a detonation at all.
At any time, but especially when times are hard, the avoidance of f@ck ups of any sort, and increased productivity is vital. Idiot morons behind the wheel with draconian speed limits as a result is no way to progress it seems to me.
Implementation alone will cost a fortune. If spending money, do so to improve standards, rather than piss money up the wall chasing ones tail.
Ha bleeding rumpf. :(
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...and add in the fact that, afaik, there is no training what so ever for motorway driving, meaning we have an entire populous thinking their own version of the rules is correct, one might argue its amazing anybody reaches a detonation at all.
At any time, but especially when times are hard, the avoidance of f@ck ups of any sort, and increased productivity is vital. Idiot morons behind the wheel with draconian speed limits as a result is no way to progress it seems to me.
Implementation alone will cost a fortune. If spending money, do so to improve standards, rather than piss money up the wall chasing ones tail.
Ha bleeding rumpf. :(
I believe the 'Pass Plus' involves some motorway training. It is some extra lessons with a driving instructor after passing your driving test. Briefly looked into after my eldest past hs test. But like most 17 year olds he knew best ::)
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Implementation may cost less than we think. I suspect we may see a reduction in the 'national speed limit' No costs at all as far as I can see >:(
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They would need to have a lot of speed cameras on rural B roads - which wouldnt last five minutes imo before folk started vandalising them. ;)
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Surely some wally bib will have to put 40 signs up? Or are we saying national speed limits signs will have yet another different meaning according to the road your on..?
And while on the subject, without nipping off to google, who knows the designation for national speed limit according to single/duel carriageway or motorway. Obviously we all know the motorway is 70mph.
But what applies on lesser roads...? What's the difference? Do we know? :)
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National speed limit on single carriageways is 60mph. Theoretically easy to redisgnate that down to 40mph. As said though,probably difficult to enforce in many places.
If they decide to reduce it in some places and not others its going to cost a fortune to replace all the signs.Maybe its a job creation scheme,or the company which makes the signs has just made a large donation to party funds ? ::)
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And dual carriageway? What's the difference between a duel carriageway and a two lane motorway?
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Certain regs.apply on motorways which dont apply on dual carriageways,but both 70mph limit.
I know this because I have recently formed the habit of taking some notice of speed limits. :)
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Isn't it about time we stopped faffing about with speed limits and addressed the real problem of the bloody awful standards of driving exhibited by so many of the population?
How would you propose doing that? Make everyone travel at 50 in a fifty limit? Fines for people who are caught driving awfully (tailgating, speeding, crossing central solid line, veering onto hard shoulder) or compulsory retest every five years? If so it sounds like more nanny state. Where would you draw the line?
Re tests for those that have passed a far easier test in their early years. Motorway test, or no motorway use. The plain fact is the standard of driving is apalling in the uk. The underlying cause of which is money. Imigrants on a non uk license who passed their test via a brown envelope. Older drivers that simply can't cope with any speed over 25mph. Much less use their mirrors.
The country is in a very real danger of grid lock in so many areas not just road use. Let's not add to it. Ffs half the country dribble along at 40 in the national speed limit anyway.
There you go I've fixed that bit. As this is still possible in parts of Eastern Europe, where local police conduct driving tests.
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National speed limit on single carriageways is 60mph. Theoretically easy to redisgnate that down to 40mph. As said though,probably difficult to enforce in many places.
If they decide to reduce it in some places and not others its going to cost a fortune to replace all the signs.Maybe its a job creation scheme,or the company which makes the signs has just made a large donation to party funds ? ::)
Don't forget that different limits apply to different vehicles. The limit is already 40mph on single carriageways for HGVs, and as you're quite likely to get behind one that makes the limit effectively 40 for everyone else (or risk some dodgy overtakes, but they won't be dangerous at all if you're within the speed limit, of course ;) )
Oh, and the limit for HGVs on motorways is 60mph but most HGVs are limited to 56mph to keep them within EU regulations. Crazy.