3FIDDYZ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Borrowed from another site.... Wales 2010 may not be fun if this happens... "THE government is to cut the national speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on most of Britain's roads, enforced by a new generation of average speed cameras. The reduction , to be imposed as early as next year, will affect two thirds of the country's road network. Drivers will still be able to reach 70mph on motorways and dual carriageways and 60mph on the safest A roads. Jim Fitzpatrick, the roads minister, defended the plan, which will be the most dramatic cut since 1978, when the national speed limit was reduced from 70mph to 60mph. "There will be some in the driving lobby who think this is a further attack and a restriction on people's freedom," he said. "But when you compare that to the fact we are killing 3,000 people a year on our roads, it would be irresponsible not to do something about it. I'm sure that the vast majority of motorists would support the proposals." New research by the Department for Transport has found that reducing the speed limit could save 200-250 lives a year and also reduce carbon emissions. Britain's roads were the safest in the world until 2001, relative to its population, but have since fallen into sixth place behind countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Some challenge that statistic because of the disparity of the countries' sizes. The new 50mph limit is intended to reduce the high death toll on rural roads, where, in 2007, 69% of car crash fatalities took place. It will apply to single carriage A, B and C roads. Local authorities will have the power to raise the limit to 60mph on the safest roads, but will have to justify it. Ministers plan to use average speed cameras, which monitor speeds over distances of up to six miles, to help enforce the new limit. The cameras have already been installed at 43 locations. The Home Office is expected to approve their wider use later this year. Speed Check Services, the company behind the cameras, claims the number of deaths or serious injuries at its sites has fallen on average by 60%. Fitzpatrick said: "If you look at the figures on rural roads, there are disproportionately more people dying there than on any other roads. The nature of some rural roads, with dips and bends and difficult conditions, means that the 60mph limit is not enough." The 50mph proposal will be laid out in a consultation document to be published in the early summer. Edmund King, president of the AA, warned that the move could alienate some motorists. Last year the AA asked 17,481 motorists if the limit on single carriageway roads should be cut to 50mph. Nearly half backed the move but 38% opposed it. He said: "There are quitea few single carriageway rural roads that are straight and adequately wide, where 60mph – in the right conditions, driving sensibly — is not a problem. "The danger of the blanket approach is: are you going to then reduce speed limits just for the sake of it where you don't need to? That's where you lose the respect or the support of the motorist. "We all know some rural roads where the 60mph limit is ridiculous, although there are equally others where it suits. So it is a case of getting that balance." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/drivin ... 864847.ece Petition... http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/noNSLreduction/ SPREAD THE WORD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin W Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Borrowed from another site.... Wales 2010 may not be fun if this happens..."We all know some rural roads where the 60mph limit is ridiculous, although there are equally others where it suits. So it is a case of getting that balance." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/drivin ... 864847.ece Petition... http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/noNSLreduction/ SPREAD THE WORD! Signed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkwright Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 personally I have no problem with a road speed limit being reduced if there is a Genuine Reason for doing so. What I do object to is the enforcement of such a speed limit by more widespread use of cameras. It is painfully obvious by now that these are set at low speeds in order to gather revenue, NOT to genuinely enforce the speed limit. I will admit that average speed cameras are slightly better, erring a little more in favour of the driver however I feel that motorists are penalised far too highly for relatively minor speeding infringements. I can remember the 'old days' when the Copper gave you 10mph on his speed device whether it be radar, vascar or a bloody hairdryer and he stopped you and told you that you'd been naughty. If you argued he told you (quite rightly) that it made up for the times you hadn't been caught. Most motorists regarded it as 'a fair cop'. Now we all drive round watching the speedo instead of the road and hoping we don't cough or blink in the wrong place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Signed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 They want to make the 60 mpg roads around the lakes 30 mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greekman Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 personally I have no problem with a road speed limit being reduced if there is a Genuine Reason for doing so. What I do object to is the enforcement of such a speed limit by more widespread use of cameras. It is painfully obvious by now that these are set at low speeds in order to gather revenue, NOT to genuinely enforce the speed limit. I will admit that average speed cameras are slightly better, erring a little more in favour of the driver however I feel that motorists are penalised far too highly for relatively minor speeding infringements. I can remember the 'old days' when the Copper gave you 10mph on his speed device whether it be radar, vascar or a bloody hairdryer and he stopped you and told you that you'd been naughty. If you argued he told you (quite rightly) that it made up for the times you hadn't been caught. Most motorists regarded it as 'a fair cop'. Now we all drive round watching the speedo instead of the road and hoping we don't cough or blink in the wrong place. + 1000000000000000 On some small A and B roads speed limit is ridiculously 60 instead of 50 or 40 sometimes...on the other hand on the motorway is only 70....and somebody in a rotten 30 year old Datsun is regarded as driving safe doing the same 70 like me in my brand new Z.... They say 3000 people die in car accidents and they will reduce the number that way by 200-250....but how many die from smoking related diseases or drinking??? Tens of thousands....so....lets ban smoking and drinking as well... They are talking about CO2 emissions.... target industries and military forces...how much co2 was produced by the war in Iraq???? Are we not paying enough already for something that makes our life a bit more interesting??? I suppose the government wants us in a council estate smoking, drinking and romping with any minger we can get...spreading babies everywhere and take no responsibility and then wonder why is this country going from bad to worse???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 On some small A and B roads speed limit is ridiculously 60 instead of 50 or 40 sometimes... The thing with a speed limit is though it's a LIMIT. You do not have to drive to it all the time. I see myself driving below the limit a lot if weather conditions / road surface or type of road (width, blind crests or corners etc etc) dictates it. Going round a 20mph corner in the rain at 50mph isn't going to cause that much less damage than at 60mph. If the driver took the corner properly there wouldn't be a problem....... Now I live in the area with the highest death rates on the road in the UK so feel I can say that education is key. Most of the deaths are on really rural roads and young males. We've all thought we were a driving god at one point or another and been caught out, luckily I've never been caught out badly due to driving like a an old lady. I think most of these deaths are just guys getting caught out. The others are mainly at junctions etc. I've lost a few friends in RTAs and it's bloody horrible. I would love to see the driver education raised in this country. I feel this will make the roads safer! I personally did Pass Plus when I passed my test. With my job (although I do NOT drive for it) I have to do driving theory every two years, an IAM style commentary drive every year and I attend (voluntarily) Motorbike theory and skid pan every two years. Does it make me a better driver???? I don't know. If does make me more aware of my surroundings...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
givememorepower Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hopefully you're all Top Gear enthusiasts! Do you remember seeing the one that showed why most WRC drivers were Norwegian, due to their extensive driving lessons and test, including driving on ice, snow, excessive rain skid tuition etc etc. Get some of that here in the UK as mandatory for all new and existing motorists, and they'll stop winging about speed limits as the road safety records will improve. Then, they can increase those speed limits and steal money from our wallets in some other way like taxing cigs some more ! -well hopefully anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greekman Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 On some small A and B roads speed limit is ridiculously 60 instead of 50 or 40 sometimes... The thing with a speed limit is though it's a LIMIT. You do not have to drive to it all the time. I see myself driving below the limit a lot if weather conditions / road surface or type of road (width, blind crests or corners etc etc) dictates it. Going round a 20mph corner in the rain at 50mph isn't going to cause that much less damage than at 60mph. If the driver took the corner properly there wouldn't be a problem....... +1..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R800NER Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Signed, muppets running the country don't have my vote either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 On some small A and B roads speed limit is ridiculously 60 instead of 50 or 40 sometimes... The thing with a speed limit is though it's a LIMIT. You do not have to drive to it all the time. I see myself driving below the limit a lot if weather conditions / road surface or type of road (width, blind crests or corners etc etc) dictates it. Going round a 20mph corner in the rain at 50mph isn't going to cause that much less damage than at 60mph. If the driver took the corner properly there wouldn't be a problem....... +1..... And I hate the way they want to try and control the minority of people who drive recklessly, by punishing the majority who drive with a bit more common sense! I agree with James May in his telegraph column, where he says why do we have average speed cameras in situations such as motorway maintenance when its the middle of the night and no-one is working?! A blanket enforcement just annoys people because its a stupid rule, and its almost impossible to argue against anything that could even remotely be connected to 'safety'.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Signed and forwarded! When will they learn education is the way to cure these problems. Lowering the speedlimit will do sod all until they get it so low that it is safe in call conditions, which means it'll be like 5MPH as thats the only safe speed in snow/ice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richt Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Signed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 El Gordo!!!...I cant wait for the elections...you can see your backside being bitchslapped by the sensible british public (the ones that work for a living and aspire to live a good quality of life and bring up responsible progressive future citizens for tomorrow) My only worry is...the above demographic is rapidly dwindling so there is every possibility El Gordo will be bitchslapping me instead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 El Gordo!!!...I cant wait for the elections...you can see your backside being bitchslapped by the sensible british public (the ones that work for a living and aspire to live a good quality of life and bring up responsible progressive future citizens for tomorrow) My only worry is...the above demographic is rapidly dwindling so there is every possibility El Gordo will be bitchslapping me instead! It's not Premier Browns fault.... he inherited it! Serves people right for voting bloody Labour! Now where did I put my 'David Cameron might not be able to run a country but at least he's not bloody Labour' T shirt???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Quads Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 El Gordo!!!...I cant wait for the elections...you can see your backside being bitchslapped by the sensible british public (the ones that work for a living and aspire to live a good quality of life and bring up responsible progressive future citizens for tomorrow) My only worry is...the above demographic is rapidly dwindling so there is every possibility El Gordo will be bitchslapping me instead! It's not Premier Browns fault.... he inherited it! Serves people right for voting bloody Labour! While he inherited the Prime Minitser position I would have said that for much of Tony Blairs reign Mr Brown was much more powerful than Tony was. He has been very much a major part of the running of this country for a number of years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobby Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 El Gordo!!!...I cant wait for the elections...you can see your backside being bitchslapped by the sensible british public (the ones that work for a living and aspire to live a good quality of life and bring up responsible progressive future citizens for tomorrow) My only worry is...the above demographic is rapidly dwindling so there is every possibility El Gordo will be bitchslapping me instead! It's not Premier Browns fault.... he inherited it! Serves people right for voting bloody Labour! Now where did I put my 'David Cameron might not be able to run a country but at least he's not bloody Labour' T shirt???? Wherever that Tshirt is ...thats the only one that makes any sense at the moment..unless some other comes out with another T-shirt that makes more sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 There seems to be a queue of rats at the lifeboat stations at the moment. This is one sinking ship I will not salvage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOracle Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Just read this thread, unbelievable I'll put my order in now for a milk float!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentech Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I have a few nice A road routes that I take on the way back from work. Noticed they all now have 50mph sections on them. Didn't think it had progressed so far as to end up reducing the national speed limit . One particular section, between Nuneaton and Meriden, was reduced just a few months ago. Last week a smash in the usual place. So that made all the difference . I'm sure the majority of these accidents are caused by new and/or poor drivers but hey, let's just penalise everyone. Do they have an 'acceptable' figure for road deaths that they're aiming for? If they're after zero then, as previously mentioned, the speed limit will have to match. It seems that the days of enjoying a nice drive are limited. Glad I have my Z now as in a few years it will probably be pretty pointless owning such a motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentech Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The report just shown on the BBC news had slightly different information. They mentioned introducing 20mph limits around schools and reducing some rural roads to 50mph (which we have already seen happening). The important point they made was that this will be on a case by case basis and not a blanket reduction in the national speed limit. Hopefully not as bad as it originally sounded but I guess we'll have to wait to get full details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The report just shown on the BBC news had slightly different information. They mentioned introducing 20mph limits around schools and reducing some rural roads to 50mph (which we have already seen happening). The important point they made was that this will be on a case by case basis and not a blanket reduction in the national speed limit. Hopefully not as bad as it originally sounded but I guess we'll have to wait to get full details. Isn't this how the speed cameras started? We seem to be heading to the days when you had to have a man with a flag walking in front of your car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R800NER Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Please sign this petition, add it to your signatures or whatever you can. It's all over Pistonheads and a few other forums. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/noNSLreduction/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Looks like they are bringing it down similar to what we have in NZ. 30kms around schools & roadworks 50kms around the suburbs & most secondary arterial routes 60kms on same main arterial routes 100kms on the motorway & on the open road A few others, but those are the main ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 They should put speed limits UP on motorways, think how much time we'd save and how much better off the economy would be if we all could get where we were going sooner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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