Speeding
I like listening to people try to argue about speeding tickets. In Hull, there's a short inner ring-road called Freetown Way which has a 30mph limit. A surprising amount of people think it's a 40mph just because it's a dual-carriageway. My driving instructor once told me that another learner would not accept it was a 30 zone because her boyfriend said it was a 40 and the instructor couldn't convince her otherwise.

A guy I know got flashed and received a ticket for 39mph. That tells me that he saw the camera and did 39mph to avoid getting caught. He took umbrage when I asked him what made him think it was a 40 limit when there was nothing to say it was. He then went into a rant about why it should be a 40mph limit.

However, I think I won the debate when I pointed out that the road is only 1000yds long and has lights at either end, plus 3 sets of light inbetween and a crossing as well. I showed him that even with a flying start and green lights all the way through, doing 30 instead of 40 would only save him 18 seconds.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 16:19, 9 replies)

All of this may be true, but it does feel unnaturally slow, especially at 2am, to be driving down there at 30. Bev Road and Spring Bank 30 feels normal and sane, but on Free Town Way it feels like a bit of a crawl. Mind you, does at least make dodging the lemming-like college students a bit easier!
(Liberal, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 17:02, closed)

The ring road in Hanley (Stoke on Trent) is similar
I always felt it was set at that speed to ensure there was sufficient revenue generated by the speed cameras.

Doing 30 on any dual carriageway just feels wrong.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Tue 27 Apr 2010, 17:49, closed)

Doing 30 on any road which is not a built-up residential road with parked cars and children playing feels wrong
It's high time the speed limits in this country were reviewed to make them more sensible.

30mph is a sensible speed for such a road as described in the title of this post. But it does not make sense that another road - straight, clear, double-yellow lines, no houses whose front gardens open directly onto the road, not an area where children play etc - should have EXACTLY the same speed limit as the first road.

The limits also don't take into account road and weather conditions. A road with black ice on a foggy Winter's night will necessitate a much slower speed than the same dry road on a clear and bright Summer's day. In bad conditions, it can be downright DANGEROUS to drive at the supposedly legal speed limit - and a good driver will reduce their speed even further to be safe. But on the same road in good conditions, it can be perfectly safe to exceed the technical legal limit.

The limits are arbritary, and have less to do with road safety and more to do with extracting fines from motorists who drive perfectly safely.

Make speed limits more sensible, and people will be more likely to respect them. Then come down hard on those people who genuinely DO go far too fast for safety.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 18:45, closed)

Remove all speed limits
Make a single penalty for any driver causing an accident. One simple bullet in the back of the neck. Administered at the roadside.
Utilitarianism is much underrated.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 7:30, closed)

I like the principal
I have often wondered how a similar system would fare, no limits, no fines, just a criminal conviction for any damage or death caused through the drivers negligence, and or financial responsibility ie: insurance covers the costs of those whose property you've damaged, but you still have to pay it back.
(M61A1 CUPID- STUNTS, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 10:35, closed)

Too much compromise.
Just shoot them. If I do it, shoot me.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 11:39, closed)

How about this?
Here in Essex, I find that driving at 30-33mph in an obvious 30mph area means virtually everyone comes right up behind you, attempting to overtake.

Even if it's busy and there are cars in front or coming the other way, I very often have someone come yomping up behind me then start tailgating/drifting out.

It's not even young lads any more. Often it's middle-aged women or wrinklies.
(Kliper Filllets Getting noticed by twats on the internet since, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 9:34, closed)

Let them, and don't be intimidated.
Its there blood pressure.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 11:38, closed)

One of the problems
with a short stretch of ridiculously low speed limit is that all the following traffic must also do the same speed often backed up for miles. Some of the people that design this kind of shit need a good smack about the head.
I have lived near one stretch of road where there are multiple lights in a row, after much experimentation, I found that the only way to get them all green in a row was to accelerate rapidly up to around 140 kph and maintain it until you were through (being very careful on your bike to check all intersections in advance).
You would think with all the gear technology available, that they could properly synchronise a few sets of lights.
(M61A1 CUPID- STUNTS, Wed 28 Apr 2010, 10:44, closed)