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[Terbs]

Don't know if any of you watched South Today news on TV, but evidently there was another crash on the A34, near that bad one.
But to show their stupidity, South Today put a correspondent in a lorry to drive on the A34 and get his responses to questions about the road.
The questions asked of the driver were....Should Lorries be confined to the inside lane
Should there be 'Crawler lanes'
What would be the best safety improvement.

Imo....three lanes is the only way to go. Crawler lanes result in lorries still having to join the main carriageway.
Banning lorries to the inside lane is absurd.
When questioned about the main public hate...lorries overtaking at 1mph faster than the vehicle being overtaken, and taking sometimes miles to get past, was to get rid of limiters!!! Can't comment as I know nothing on that subject.
However, three lanes opens it up to the publics next main hate...middle lane hoggers !!!!!!

 

[Kevin Wood]

Yes, well, turkeys don't vote for Christmas. 

Some of the hills on the A34 make it particularly irritating when two lorries try to have a "snail race" and the sections where they have banned lorries from the outside lane work well, IMHO.

I have thought for a while that HGV limiters should be interactive, so that, if they detect an HGV gaining on the another HGV ahead because of a difference in the limiter setting, the two adjust themselves to the same speed.

Companies who set their limiters slower than the speed limit actively promote "snail racing" too, but let's not let the efficiency of the road network take precedence over them saving a bit of diesel. 

[Nick W]

There are two different problems:

We have lots of traffic in too small an area. The most effective way of reducing that would be to insist that all vehicles are filled to at least 50% of their load or passenger capacity at all times. So that's not going to happen without several fundamental changes to society.

Many drivers are temperamentally unsuited to driving. You see them every time you use the roads; hooting, gesturing, tailgating, fill in your own examples. Roadside executions are probably the only workable solution to this, but who wants to live like that?

[Doctor Gollum]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

[Kevin Wood]

There are two different problems:

We have lots of traffic in too small an area. The most effective way of reducing that would be to insist that all vehicles are filled to at least 50% of their load or passenger capacity at all times. So that's not going to happen without several fundamental changes to society.

Many drivers are temperamentally unsuited to driving. You see them every time you use the roads; hooting, gesturing, tailgating, fill in your own examples. Roadside executions are probably the only workable solution to this, but who wants to live like that?

Valids point, IMHO. There is another option, which I tend to try and make use of whenever it's possible: Drive at unpopular times when traffic is light.

[Kevin Wood]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

Yep. one lane doing 58 MPH. Another lane where you get tailgated if you slow down to below 120. What's not to like?

They just need to ban vehicles with maximum speeds between 58 MPH and 120 MPH.

 

[Doctor Gollum]

There are two different problems:

We have lots of traffic in too small an area. The most effective way of reducing that would be to insist that all vehicles are filled to at least 50% of their load or passenger capacity at all times. So that's not going to happen without several fundamental changes to society.

Many drivers are temperamentally unsuited to driving. You see them every time you use the roads; hooting, gesturing, tailgating, fill in your own examples. Roadside executions are probably the only workable solution to this, but who wants to live like that?

Valids point, IMHO. There is another option, which I tend to try and make use of whenever it's possible: Drive at unpopular times when traffic is light.

You'll never make management if you insist on speaking common sense

[Doctor Gollum]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

Yep. one lane doing 58 MPH. Another lane where you get tailgated if you slow down to below 120. What's not to like?

They just need to ban vehicles with maximum speeds between 58 MPH and 120 MPH.

 

That's what the middle lane is for on the three lane bits...

[tunnie]

Driven in Euroland in which Lorries are banned from over-taking at peak times, works well in my view. Traffic just flowed better, lots of Lorries trundling along in lane 1, lanes 2/3 flowing much faster.

So ban for them on A34 gets my vote, as it's not exactly flat around there. Often seen the Lorry that is over taking is fat heavy with a load and only a 380hp. Slight hill and the lightly loaded 420/440's have no issue and damn things pull back in after not actually completing an overtake.

[Kevin Wood]

There are two different problems:

We have lots of traffic in too small an area. The most effective way of reducing that would be to insist that all vehicles are filled to at least 50% of their load or passenger capacity at all times. So that's not going to happen without several fundamental changes to society.

Many drivers are temperamentally unsuited to driving. You see them every time you use the roads; hooting, gesturing, tailgating, fill in your own examples. Roadside executions are probably the only workable solution to this, but who wants to live like that?

Valids point, IMHO. There is another option, which I tend to try and make use of whenever it's possible: Drive at unpopular times when traffic is light.

You'll never make management if you insist on speaking common sense

Just as well. They'd probably make me drive a BMW.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

It does work in Germany, although it's not a rule that applies across the autobahn, but on sections that confine HGV's to the inside lane allowing traffic to pass. 

When I was a lorryist, I used to back off a little if another truck tried to overtake so that he could get past me and it should be illegal not to do so IMO. 

I once caused a massive tailback on the M6 where I went to overtake another truck on a hill.    I nearly got past him, then the road flattened and he was a little faster than me on the flat and started creeping up my nearside until he was nearly clear, but then there was another hill where I was faster and started to overtake until the road flattened again.  This went on for about 20 miles and every time our cabs were level I beeped the guy but he steadfastly ignored me  , in the meantime another truck had tucked in behind the first truck in the inside lane so I could'nt back off and get back in the inside lane, so I was stuck in the middle!    Eventually the truck turned off and I was able to get back in the inside lane, to be passed by loads of mostly Irish trucks (faster or no limiters) throwing abuse at me as they went by.     

[Kevin Wood]

When I was a lorryist, I used to back off a little if another truck tried to overtake so that he could get past me and it should be illegal not to do so IMO. 

I've always wondered why that's so obvious yet apparently impossible.

[Sir Tigger KC]

When I was a lorryist, I used to back off a little if another truck tried to overtake so that he could get past me and it should be illegal not to do so IMO. 

I've always wondered why that's so obvious yet apparently impossible.

BTSD syndrome! 

[biggriffin]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

Only on certain stretches' of road at certain times, and it's 60kmh, also its heavily enforced €100-500 fine.

The stretch's in this country, are pointless, due to the difference and time saved by mr A4 company Audi is 1 whole minute.
Never yet seen or heard of a lorryist, being stopped, or fined for ignoring the restriction on the A14,or A34 or A1 at Durham.

[Kevin Wood]

Lorries confined to nearside lane works in Germany...

Only on certain stretches' of road at certain times, and it's 60kmh, also its heavily enforced €100-500 fine.

The stretch's in this country, are pointless, due to the difference and time saved by mr A4 company Audi is 1 whole minute.
Never yet seen or heard of a lorryist, being stopped, or fined for ignoring the restriction on the A14,or A34 or A1 at Durham.

.. and, of course, a lorryist saves so much more time when he's spent 3 miles overtaking a single vehicle.