Afternoon all,
This just got emailed to me.
Telegraph link
What do you think? Real or Fake?
Be nice if its true
I wouldn't get too excited yet, I bet there will be a sting in the tail, such as lowering the national speed limit
People drive too close to each other to justify a 70 MPH speed limit. Our lane discipline isn't good enough and we pull in far too close to the car we've just overtaken. We just don't drive well enough allow 80 MPH.
I'm going to say fake, as it's allowing us to do something we couldn't before
The sting in the tail is already here and always has been.
The cost of driving faster.
We'll end up with :-
1st class lane for those who can afford to do 80mph. This will be inhabited by BMW and Audi drivers and nightclub bouncers in 4x4s. (I've had
Audis and BMWs, so I reserve the right to say that.)
2nd class lane - this will continue to be inhabited by people who join the motorway and slide right into the middle lane for the rest of their
journey. They'll now be joined by all the people who were quite happy with 70 but don't want a smack up the arse by a member of first class
on a mission.
3rd class lane. Trucks and those of us who roll along at 1800rpm in top with the cruise engaged, doing about 63-65. To overtake the trucks,
we'll have to go straight into the lane two / lane three bunfight.
I'm looking forward to it.
The new ACPO guidelines have effectivly stop prosecutions at 80 mph as it stands.
An increase in motorway top speed would natch France and some of Europe what we would need is the reduction in speed enforced as you approach
dangerous bends and intersections as the French and Germans do.
I would also support much lower limits in built up areas,and near schools etc, that's where the speed cameras should be.
Agreed. 80 limit makes a lot more sense, but then prosecute at not a lot more. May not be popular, but it is farcical having a limit and then not
bothering to enforce it.
Would also like to see more plod out and about nicking inconsiderate drivers. As above the centre lane idiots, tailgaters and so on. Give them proper
road policing to do.
And while I am at it, I really like the tax/insurance/MoT cameras, as long as they pull the barstewards straight away, not just send a ticket to a
non-existent address. Get that bunch off the road and it will be a better place to be.
Problem with that Zil is that the middle lane is also inhabited by Wayne Kerrs who drop straight in there and do 55-60, forcing everyone (except me)
into the third lane to overtake (I make a point of undertaking where possible and safe)
Speed cameras in places where it would actually benefit safety? That's some dangerous thinking there! (I fully support it)
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Problem with that Zil is that the middle lane is also inhabited by Wayne Kerrs who drop straight in there and do 55-60, forcing everyone (except me) into the third lane to overtake (I make a point of undertaking where possible and safe)
Speed cameras in places where it would actually benefit safety? That's some dangerous thinking there! (I fully support it)
dont see the point of 80 i rarely get over 55 on the m25 every morning
80mph limit?
Does that mean that everybody will now be driving at around 90mph?
As a previous poster mentioned, most people drive too close for 70mph let alone 80mph. unless the maximum reaction times become part of the standard
test?
Besides, everyone knows that the middle lane is for those trying to decide if the next exit is actually the right one.
Anyway, slightly OT, I have figured out that to reduce congestion, all roads are going to have 200 and 300yard markers on them as it appears that
these sections of motorway are the most unused portions of tarmac.
quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Problem with that Zil is that the middle lane is also inhabited by Wayne Kerrs who drop straight in there and do 55-60, forcing everyone (except me) into the third lane to overtake (I make a point of undertaking where possible and safe)
Speed cameras in places where it would actually benefit safety? That's some dangerous thinking there! (I fully support it)
Ninehigh.
That was my point.
All the middle lane meanderers will be joined by the "happy with 70" group who don't fancy an X5 / Q7 up their Ronson.
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Problem with that Zil is that the middle lane is also inhabited by Wayne Kerrs who drop straight in there and do 55-60, forcing everyone (except me) into the third lane to overtake (I make a point of undertaking where possible and safe)
Speed cameras in places where it would actually benefit safety? That's some dangerous thinking there! (I fully support it)
quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
The sting in the tail is already here and always has been.
The cost of driving faster.
We'll end up with :-
1st class lane for those who can afford to do 80mph. This will be inhabited by BMW and Audi drivers and nightclub bouncers in 4x4s. (I've had Audis and BMWs, so I reserve the right to say that.)
2nd class lane - this will continue to be inhabited by people who join the motorway and slide right into the middle lane for the rest of their journey. They'll now be joined by all the people who were quite happy with 70 but don't want a smack up the arse by a member of first class on a mission.
3rd class lane. Trucks and those of us who roll along at 1800rpm in top with the cruise engaged, doing about 63-65. To overtake the trucks, we'll have to go straight into the lane two / lane three bunfight.
I'm looking forward to it.
Hum, not sure about this. On the basis that increased speed will inevitably cause an increase in the effect of accidents, won't there be more hold-ups to couteract the effect of the increased speed limit? I know the 70 limit was set in the days of poorer brakes, but there were far fewer motorists too. It will be very interesting to see what happens to average motorway journey times if it happens. I don't see the need or desire. Those who wanted to drive faster did it anyway.
Personally I say raise the limit to 95, and hand out instant bans at 105.
Powerful cars these days can easily cruise at 80-90 (I do when the mood takes me)
The undertaking came over time, from when most middle lane idiots were actually doing 55. At the time I'd be doing 60 (and gunning it in my
rustbucket) and figured it was far more dangerous for me to go from lane 1 to 3, at 60, hold up any traffic that was doing 70+, and then cross 2 lanes
back to where I were than just stay in my lane and hope that guy doesn't suddenly realise to "keep left unless overtaking" and plough
into my side.
Incidentally in over 10 years of doing this ONE person has kept left. Also there's the irony that no doubt one of them c**ks has cursed me out
for "dangerous undertaking" that I shouldn't be able to do.
My final get-out is undertaking is allowed when my lane is going faster, I know it's meant to be during heavy traffic (so we're not all
stopped because the third lane is) but my lane is going faster 
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
i don't undertake, that would be against the highway code
It's not undertaking, that's what funeral directors do
It's passing on the inside.
quote:
Originally posted by Simon
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
i don't undertake, that would be against the highway code
Not strictly true.
If the traffic in lanes 2 and 3 is doing less than 70 due to the volume of traffic in those lanes, it is perfectly legal to do 70 in lane 1 and "undertake". Can you imagine what would happen in the faster moving traffic in lanes 1 and 2 had to slow down to match the speed of traffic in lanes 2 and 3 respectively. The motorways would stop.
So, if one car is doing 60 in lane 2 (they are traffic after all), technically you can undertake. Just ensure there's no coppers around, as you'll be the easy target with your sensible lane discipline, rather than the middle lane twat.
Happy motoring.
ATB
Simon
This was on Tory literature TWO YEARS AGO! I can't be the only one who's been reading pamphlets.
I'm mixed on this one, I think there arte spots where an 80 limit is a good idea but Many places where it's not, added to this most people
seem to think you should drive at either 10mph over the limit or 20 below (Hence why I have difficulty getting out of my road, the limit is 30,
visability of the curve allows for about 35, but people think the limit is 40 so come round at 50).
The biggest problem with rasing the limit is you make the gap bigger between cars and lorries/caravans which will only encourage more middle lane
idiots. 80 is about as high as I think it would be safe to make the limit without changes to things like MOT and type aproval stuff as above that
you'd get people driving faster than components of their cars were rated to. My car has an official top speed of 96mph but it goes faster, My
satnav says I hit 117 (I went out 2 lanes to pass a bellend doing 60 who seemed to take offence, I pushed it till he chickened out then looked at the
speed).
In my mind I'm not doing anything wrong by staying in lane and driving around the idiots all the time they're not indicating to pull in.
Moving in a lane to pass is a deffinite No no but I see no logical reason in wasting fuel slowing down, and then rapidly accellerating to avoid an
obstacle that isn't actually in my way.
Back to upping the limit though, not a good idea unless more is done to punish people driving badly, lane hogging and tailgating.