55mph Speed Limit

[Electric_Andy]

a long stretch of dcw bypassing Plymouth City has just been reduced to 60. It was a notorious road for accidents. it seems to be less congested now. also psychologically, when it's 70 people tend to do anything from 70 to 85. when it's 60, they weirdly seem to stick to the limit

 

[Profpointy]

Whilst I am by and large against reducing speed limits on motorways or even A roads, unless there is a specific rationale on the M4 from Newport to Cardiff it is now 50 and it actually makes the journey less stressful and, it seems to me at least, rather quicker, as it smooths the traffic flow on a quite busy section. It used to be zooming along at quasi legal 70-80 then down to 20 or even a momentary stop, whilst now, despite being busier if anything we all trundle along at 45
to 50.

Something I do find a bit annoying and even contradictory is straight extra-wide trunk roads with 50mph limits. Presumably people had been hooning along at 80 doing mad overtakes. Might have been easier and cheaper not have improved the road in the first place and everyone would have done 50 to 60 perfectly happily and hopefully fairly safely

On the fuel saving argument it seems a bit crazy that large engined 2 or even 3 tonne vehicles are doing maybe 12mpg are deemed perfectly OK in and of themselves yet speed restrictions are being proposed to save fuel whilst my fairly sensible little Honda does 44mpg

 

[Dan Lotus]

We need to consider adopting an EU approach where the speed limit is staggered. Big heavy vehicles limited to lower speeds and the outer slow lanes while cars can travel at 60-80mph in the inner faster lanes depending on the road type. We found driving in Europe so much easier and more fluid than in the UK, apart from joining roads which were a little problematic but largely because the drivers seat was no in the right location.

And also critically (for me) the differing speed limits based on whether it is raining or not.

 

[wafter]

Lots of good reasons on paper (reduced frequency and severity of accidents, driver fatigue, fuel consumption, component wear, noise) however it's never going to fly with the average, self-important dickhead clinging to their "right" to do whatever they want to appease the god of their own whim / convenience regardless of the wider cost.

That said, while in later life I'm generally happy to roll along on the inside lane of the motorway at 50-60 most of the time it can become somewhat mind-numbing sometimes...

 

[Dogtrousers]

It is the "fast, middle, slow" terminology that leads to lane hogging.

I like to think that, despite using wrong terminology, my lane discipline is fairly good.

 

[bikingdad90]

@Alex321, apologies you have misunderstood what I meant. In EU countries, some roads have designated slow lanes, usually for certain weight vehicles travelling under a certain speed and usually uphill.

The “middle lane” hogger offence is also different to the UK, you can’t drive below 80km/h in the middle lanes unlike the UK where it is more relaxed (ignoring traffic jams etc)

 

[MontyVeda]

...
That said, while in later life I'm generally happy to roll along on the inside lane of the motorway at 50-60 most of the time it can become somewhat mind-numbing sometimes...

Which is precisely why people enjoy driving more when its faster. Lowering the speed limit will not stop some drivers from breaking it. Every time we travel on the motorway there's always someone going way too fast down the outside lane. Even with average speed cameras, they carry on as normal and grumble at the speeding tickets.

 

[Alex321]

@Alex321, apologies you have misunderstood what I meant. In EU countries, some roads have designated slow lanes, usually for certain weight vehicles travelling under a certain speed and usually uphill.

We do have some of those as well - sometimes called "crawler lanes".

The “middle lane” hogger offence is also different to the UK, you can’t drive below 80km/h in the middle lanes unlike the UK where it is more relaxed (ignoring traffic jams etc)

Yes, there is no minimum speed in any lane in the UK, but you should only be using any but the LH lane if yuo are overtaking - whatever speed that may be.

I do remember one two lane motorway in the Netherlands where heavy vehicles wern't allowed to use the outer lane at rush hour (From a 30 year old memory, I think that was 7-9AM and 4-6PM).

Actually, remembering that the road was near the airport, I just looked on streetview and found it, and the restriction now os from 6AM to 7PM.

 

[raleighnut]

@Alex321, apologies you have misunderstood what I meant. In EU countries, some roads have designated slow lanes, usually for certain weight vehicles travelling under a certain speed and usually uphill.

The “middle lane” hogger offence is also different to the UK, you can’t drive below 80km/h in the middle lanes unlike the UK where it is more relaxed (ignoring traffic jams etc)

We have them in Britain too, often marked with a solid white line and known as 'Crawler' lanes although most modern Trucks* have more than adequate power/torque not to need them.

* I know they are called 'Tractor Units' before the pedants start.

 

[teeonethousand]

I have a 1972 VW Camper....when we drive anywhere using motorways we tend to cruise at about 55. Other cars often wave at us before speeding off and we very often see them and hour it so later..if it's a long journey.

I am not sure how much quicker you get there if you maximise every speedier opportunity but having said all that I often went as quick as I could get away with when I travelled for work Worse when coming home.

When I stopped work and had to pay for my own car and fuel I changed...definitely captain steady now .

 

[travellingwest]

There's a speed limit on motorways 👀

 

[winjim]

I like to think that, despite using wrong terminology, my lane discipline is fairly good.

IME motorways these days are too congested to be able to exercise "correct" discipline. They've exceeded the capacity they were designed for. They don't work properly and driving on them is a tiring ordeal.

Could say that for most roads TBF, certainly the ones I use on a regular basis.

 

[presta]

IME motorways these days are too congested to be able to exercise "correct" discipline

Reducing speed helps with congestion, because it reduces the stop-start driving that causes a lot of it.

 

[CXRAndy]

I have a 1972 VW Camper....when we drive anywhere using motorways we tend to cruise at about 55. Other cars often wave at us before speeding off and we very often see them and hour it so later..if it's a long journey.

I am not sure how much quicker you get there if you maximise every speedier opportunity but having said all that I often went as quick as I could get away with when I travelled for work Worse when coming home.

When I stopped work and had to pay for my own car and fuel I changed...definitely captain steady now .

The best average speed I've attained on a long journey in the UK is 55mph.

Best average in Germany over 90 mins was 124mph.

 

[winjim]

They've exceeded the capacity they were designed for.

Reducing speed helps with congestion, because it reduces the stop-start driving that causes a lot of it.

QED