MWAY speed limit may go up

nilagin said:
The tons of boot space, that wouldn't be somwhere to store all your quality motoring woes advice and ideals, would it? That poor head of yours must be getting overloaded.
Click to expand...

Nope, it is for transporting bodies, and a little extra for deer road kill

ST4 said:
it is more uplifting too. There's something special about the start of a new day, rather than the end of an old one. Not only is there less people, but you are fresh, and whilst the dread of work hangs over you, you've used the best part of the day to do something special. Plus, I know the locations the he likes. They are the best in the AM golden hour.
Click to expand...

I'll start doing the mornings in a couple weeks. Evenings are finished this year.
 
On the French autoroutes the limit is 130 kmh (80mph) but whenever I've driven on them away from Paris, there is very little traffic on them compared to UK motorways. In addition the French police are very hot on speeding so motorists tend to comply.

In the UK there are many motorway motorists that routinely drive at 80 mph on their speedo in the derestricted sections where the traffic is flowing and the police by and large use their discretion and turn a blind eye. Speed cameras on the other hand don't have flexibility, though they probably do not trigger at 71 mph, so I guess there is some tolerance.

I would be concerned that raising the limit to 80 mph would result in many motorists routinely drive at 90 mph. With typical UK traffic density, that's too fast, so the speed enforcement would have to be more strict than it currently is. It's also too fast for some drivers to be comfortable, so the speed differential would increase. There would also be a substantial increase in CO2 emissions/fuel consumption.

So on balance, I think it should be left the way it is.
 
ST4 said:
Ok. Question. Who wouldn't want the motorway speed limit to go up. Who wouldn't want to go 10mph faster if allowed?
Click to expand...

No I would not want to increase the speed limit on motorways. The big difference between French/German motorways and British ones is the sheer volume of traffic. This means that it is simply not safe for traffic on Brit motorways to travel at autobahn speeds. On a clear open motorway with minimal traffic, an alert/sensible driver and a car in good condition then it's pretty safe to travel at 80mph. But, those conditions rarely apply. British motorways are almost always busy with a constant flow of traffic joining and leaving the motorway. Also most drivers think they are better drivers than they really are. So tailgating, unsafe overtaking, bunching, cutting in etc are all very common as we all know ( and be honest we all do it at times). Yes, we would all like to have the roads to ourselves without all those other pesky drivers who don't drive as well as we do. Reality is busy roads with so-so drivers. So we need slower speed limits.
 
Last edited:
Depends where you are in Britain and what time of day - many motorways are quiet and speeds at 80mph are not an issue. M74, M6 North of Lancaster, M5 early in the AM from Brum to Bristol at 6am is dead, easy carry 80mph along there.
 
So 80 should be allowed, but only on certain sections of motorway at certain times of day? Which would require a large investment in overhead signage and monitoring equipment.

With the end result that people can now legally do the speed they are probably doing anyway. Are the police really spending their time strictly enforcing the 70 limit on these roads at these times anyway? Probably not.

Why not just do an indicated 80 on the quiet roads at the quiet times, probably an actual 74ish and well within the 10% +2 that enforcement would appasrently start at.

On a busy motorway, lane 3 traffic travelling too close in poor conditions 70 is already too fast.

Can't see 80mph happening anytime soon, or even ever if traffic volume continues to increase.
 
GeeJay57 said:
On the French autoroutes the limit is 130 kmh (80mph) but whenever I've driven on them away from Paris, there is very little traffic on them compared to UK motorways.
Click to expand...


Same population spread over nearly three times as much area.


Steve.
 
overbez said:
So 80 should be allowed, but only on certain sections of motorway at certain times of day? Which would require a large investment in overhead signage and monitoring equipment.

With the end result that people can now legally do the speed they are probably doing anyway. Are the police really spending their time strictly enforcing the 70 limit on these roads at these times anyway? Probably not.

Why not just do an indicated 80 on the quiet roads at the quiet times, probably an actual 74ish and well within the 10% +2 that enforcement would appasrently start at.

On a busy motorway, lane 3 traffic travelling too close in poor conditions 70 is already too fast.

Can't see 80mph happening anytime soon, or even ever if traffic volume continues to increase.
Click to expand...

It is happening in some areas (look up 'managed motorways'), but as you have noted it is not cheap. Another reason against increased speed limit is the extra congestion caused by having higher maximum speeds.
 
ST4 said:
Ok. Question. Who wouldn't want the motorway speed limit to go up. Who wouldn't want to go 10mph faster if allowed?
Click to expand...

Me, it costs more money to go faster. It's noisier in the car, and if something breaks the consequences for my family will be worse.
 
SickAsAParrot said:
Me, it costs more money to go faster. It's noisier in the car, and if something breaks the consequences for my family will be worse.
Click to expand...

Something goes wrong at 70 its certain death, and as you cannot be more dead than dead, I'd rather go a bit quicker.

Depends on the car, but my Mercedes E class was super quiet, only above 120mph was the noise bad, and that was the roar of the wind not the engine which was silent. The OM642 engine, a triumph of engineering.

Aside, Time is money. At 80 as opposed to 70 I can drive to London to Helensburgh and be home an hour earlier, and for an extra £7 in fuel, thats ok by me.
 
Last edited:
There is no need for overhead signage other than mounting speed cameras. Regular posts are absolutely fine. Solar cells and wireless technology can make it small and cheap. But you do realise that gantrees are all about cashing in and certainly not about safety?
 
SickAsAParrot said:
Me, it costs more money to go faster. It's noisier in the car, and if something breaks the consequences for my family will be worse.
Click to expand...
But as all the "anti speeders" say,
Its a limit, not a target.
So although if increased, you would not be obliged to drive at that (80) speed :)
 
daugirdas said:
But you do realise that gantrees are all about cashing in and certainly not about safety?
Click to expand...
Absolutely, :thumbs:

but they do also post the odd "don't drink and drive" slogan up there, to salve their conscience's :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: ST4
daugirdas said:
There is no need for overhead signage other than mounting speed cameras. Regular posts are absolutely fine. Solar cells and wireless technology can make it small and cheap. But you do realise that gantrees are all about cashing in and certainly not about safety?
Click to expand...

Oh great another conspiracy theory.
 
daugirdas said:
There is no need for overhead signage other than mounting speed cameras. Regular posts are absolutely fine. Solar cells and wireless technology can make it small and cheap. But you do realise that gantrees are all about cashing in and certainly not about safety?
Click to expand...

If there is a specific speed limit for a specific section of a motorway at a specific time of day.... Then it needs to be clearly signed so everyone is clear that it is there, or not there.

The number of signs and early lane change warnings for hard shoulder running and the variable speed limit on the M25 could not be communicated clearly by solar powered lights. Hence the massive number of regular large bright displays above all lanes.
 
Cobra said:
So although if increased, you would not be obliged to drive at that (80) speed :)
Click to expand...

True, but everyone coming up behind me will be going that little bit faster, and the ones playing with their phones and satnavs will have that little bit less time to avoid a collision.

And the BMWs swooping across all three lanes from slip roads will have that little bit more aggression.

My third scariest driving experience (1 and 2 being Barcelona and London respectively) was driving on the interstates in the USA, being a Brit I assumed you had to stick to the limit because the police were behind every advertising hoarding. But none of the Americans do, and since everyone drives there with cruise control on they don't slow down at all when they come up behind you, just swerve around you at the last second. That is what I fear it will end up like.
 
SickAsAParrot said:
True, but everyone coming up behind me will be going that little bit faster, and the ones playing with their phones and satnavs will have that little bit less time to avoid a collision.
.
Click to expand...
That's just the age old problem of people not using correct lane discipline,
or thinking ahead.
It causes frustration and the scenario that that you mention.

As for phones ipads etc.
You also see people in the middle lane doing that, swerving from side to side, and generally going slower.
Again causing frustration.
TBH its not the speed that's the problem its the driving habits "of the modern age"
 
ST4 said:
Speed limit should be 139mph. I'd have a clean licence and that is all that matters to me.
Click to expand...

Round it to 140 then. Perhaps km/h should be the measure, but it is rather less important.
 
ST4 said:
240kmph is a good speed, I liked driving at that speed in germany
Click to expand...
A lot of the German autobahn network that I've driven is restricted to 120 km/h. Even when derestricted the recommended maximum is 130 km/h though typical cruising speed for performance car drivers is about 160 km/h. Some of the derestricted sections are unsuitable for very high speed driving even if there was no other traffic.

The fastest I've driven over there on an empty and open section of autobahn in perfect conditions is just over 260 km/h. Didn't stay up there for very long though, it's just too much on a public highway for me.

Last year we were cruising at about 160 km/h and a black Porsche Carrera came past us literally like we were standing still. Must have been near to 300 km/h. There was a black BMW M3 about 2 metres off the back bumper! Not a good advert for a fully derestricted highway IMHO.
 
GeeJay57 said:
A lot of the German autobahn network that I've driven is restricted to 120 km/h. Even when derestricted the recommended maximum is 130 km/h though typical cruising speed for performance car drivers is about 160 km/h.



Last year we were cruising at about 160 km/h and a black Porsche Carrera came past us literally like we were standing still. Must have been near to 300 km/h. There was a black BMW M3 about 2 metres off the back bumper! Not a good advert for a fully derestricted highway IMHO.
Click to expand...

Sounds great. I'll be back
 
GeeJay57 said:
Last year we were cruising at about 160 km/h and a black Porsche Carrera came past us literally like we were standing still. Must have been near to 300 km/h. There was a black BMW M3 about 2 metres off the back bumper! Not a good advert for a fully derestricted highway IMHO.
Click to expand...
Not a good advert for the two drivers involved, more like. Driving with a spacing of half a car length is stupid and any speed. It would be stupid in the stupid 20 limits throughout much of of Bristol as well.
 
onomatopoeia said:
Not a good advert for the two drivers involved, more like. Driving with a spacing of half a car length is stupid and any speed. It would be stupid in the stupid 20 limits throughout much of of Bristol as well.
Click to expand...

2m is fine at 20mph. Mad red-light cyclists is a much bigger concern down there.
 
daugirdas said:
2m is fine at 20mph. Mad red-light cyclists is a much bigger concern down there.
Click to expand...

2 metres is fine at 20mph?

Do you really believe what you type sometimes? The thinking distance at 20mph is given as 20 feet or 6 metres!

If you really think traveling that close to another vehicle (unless noise to tail in a crawling traffic jam) is acceptable you don't deserve to have a licence.
 
overbez said:
2 metres is fine at 20mph?

Do you really believe what you type sometimes? The thinking distance at 20mph is given as 20 feet or 6 metres!

If you really think traveling that close to another vehicle (unless noise to tail in a crawling traffic jam) is acceptable you don't deserve to have a licence.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I don't ever drive at 20mph.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top