Speed limit on motorways.

[NorthernDave]

I had the misfortune to come back up the M1 just after it had been upgraded to smart motorway between Leicester(?) and Sheffield a few years ago.
The limit was set to 50mph for about 30 miles for them to "test" the signs, (according to the information boards), which was mind numbingly boring on a near empty motorway. Although it did have the benefit that I just stuck the cruise on and the dash readout told me I was averaging over 80 mpg

And I regularly drive on the smart section of the M62 'twixt Leeds and Bradford which is a constant puzzle to me as there seems to be little rhyme or reason to the variable limits and use of the hard shoulders as running lanes. Often the hard shoulder is closed, despite traffic being heavy enough to warrant it being used (and there being no apparent obstructions), or the speed limit will be set to 50mph when traffic is quiet...

 

[Drago]

Train take the strain is great, providng the destination, and indeed starting point is only a mole ir so from the station.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Been on the M5 3 times...always a crash delay..shitt feckin road

 

[marshmella]

It seems that the new national speed limit on motorways is now 50 mph as I spent most of my time coming back from Burnley today at that speed. ( Average speed cameras to insure). The irony of it all is that there were 3 clear lanes most of the time, no cones and no road works so why 50 mph?
We are going to Devon for a few days soon and I dread the journey as the M6 and M5 are littered with 50 mph speed limits for miles.

Just a quick heads up M5 junctions 1 and 2 absolute nightnare between West Brom and Oldbury 40mph...but more like 10

 

[Tim Hall]

Been on the M5 3 times...always a crash delay..shitt feckin road

ITYM "shitt feckin drivers"

 

[Drago]

Motorways are, in effect, dead straight roads with no blind bends, parked hazards, pedestrians, yet still plums manage to crash on them.

 

[Drago]

Confine LGV's to the inside lane.

 

[DaveReading]

The average speed cameras on the M1 near J17 are averaging one victims every 5 seconds in each direction, yet they still fly through like Stirling Moss with a burning turd stuck betwixt his buttocks.

Its a tax on stupidity, a kind of motoring Darwinism.

I'm convinced that some drivers believe the average speed cameras measure your speed at that point and then the readings taken at each of the cameras are averaged, so by slowing down to 50 or whatever when you get to each one you are doing all that's necessary to avoid triggering them.

Of course if that's how they really worked, it would be necessary to give them a description that conveyed how they operate. Maybe they could be called "average speed cameras".

 

[ufkacbln]

Not astonishing at all considering the century we're in and that the one hour record for cycling is 50 miles. Heck 50mph is barely out of third on some cars, second on others. I thought by now we'd have at least seen 80mph as the new limit, maybe even more.

Given the evidence the drivers cannot drive appropriately with a 70 mph limit, increasing that is hardly a sensible move

 

[Markymark]

Average speed cameras for miles down the A2. Overall speed now quicker than before without the crappy driving. Stick it on cruise control, relax and enjoy getting there quicker with less hassle and presumably less chance of incident.

 

[screenman]

Not astonishing at all considering the century we're in and that the one hour record for cycling is 50 miles. Heck 50mph is barely out of third on some cars, second on others. I thought by now we'd have at least seen 80mph as the new limit, maybe even more.

I cannot find a link to the record, could you provide me with one as I am looking foward to reading about it.

 

[Tin Pot]

Accept your journey to Devon will be slower than you think and take longer, if it isn't speed restrictions something will cause delays. You may be pleasantly surprised that way than trying to have some sort of desired time that you want to arrive at.

Really?

That's not good news for me, I've got a race at Wimbleball lake on June 24th. I was hoping to beat the predicted 4hrs on the M4/M5 by travelling out of busy hours.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Apparently the idea is that active traffic management (!) will increase the capacity of the motoway system, but what happens when the 'smart' motorway system is full - maybe 10 years time? National gridlock?

 

[Slick]

It seems that the new national speed limit on motorways is now 50 mph as I spent most of my time coming back from Burnley today at that speed. ( Average speed cameras to insure). The irony of it all is that there were 3 clear lanes most of the time, no cones and no road works so why 50 mph?
We are going to Devon for a few days soon and I dread the journey as the M6 and M5 are littered with 50 mph speed limits for miles.

I have been travelling from Glasgow to Birmingham for the past 3 weeks, coming back up at weekends. Travelling down in the evening was easy enough, with my fastest time being 4hrs and 15 minutes, but coming home was 7hrs plus with the sheer volume of traffic grinding both m6 and m5 to a halt. If I remember correctly, the first 100 miles took me almost 4 hours.

 

[Drago]

Not astonishing at all considering the century we're in and that the one hour record for cycling is 50 miles. Heck 50mph is barely out of third on some cars, second on others. I thought by now we'd have at least seen 80mph as the new limit, maybe even more.

My V-Max will crack 80 in first, but its a meaningless ability in transport terms.

It is absolutely astonishing. Ir wasn't so long ago that the fastest a man could travel was flat out on a good horse. 50 might seem pedestrian, but takes one from the outskirts of North London to Milton keynes in an hour. That is astonishing in the scheme of things, and there's is no need to go any faster on a public road. Speeds much beyond that simply widen the differential in velocities between vehicles moving at different speeds, and serves only to slow things down and increase danger. 50 allows meaningful distances to be covered, while maximising traffic flow characteristics, minimising kinetic energy, and reducing the opportunity for events to exceed the capacity of drivers reactions.

With finite road capacity, weather, and people who drive HUA, we've gone beyond the event horizon where attempting to travel fast actually reduces journey times.