Motorway Madness
Posted by: rackkit on 10 December 2005
Posted on: 13 December 2005 by Steve Toy
Rasher,
Experience tells me that the 70mph limit on the M6 toll in particular is a piss-take.
If you go with the flow of traffic you do 90. If you do 70, however, you are not upsetting said flow unless you hog the middle lane.
Folks pay their £3.50 toll to get round the Birmingham conurbation quicker than if they used the M6 freebie that travels through it. In the intersts of the urban environment, strictly enforcing the 70 limit on the toll road would force more traffic along the freebie,
adding to congestion and resulting pollution.
I guess another option would be to introduce a 40 limit on the freebie with scameras to encourage use of the toll road. That wouldn't help congestion either.
They've already done that on the A446 running parallel to the toll road. Whilst the 60 limit remains, this road is used mainly by lorries not wanting to pay the £10 toll. A couple of scameras have been installed with weight sensors so that lorries get flashed for doing more than 40. The obvious result is that everyone has to do 40 in the line of traffic.
Experience tells me that the 70mph limit on the M6 toll in particular is a piss-take.
If you go with the flow of traffic you do 90. If you do 70, however, you are not upsetting said flow unless you hog the middle lane.
Folks pay their £3.50 toll to get round the Birmingham conurbation quicker than if they used the M6 freebie that travels through it. In the intersts of the urban environment, strictly enforcing the 70 limit on the toll road would force more traffic along the freebie,
adding to congestion and resulting pollution.
I guess another option would be to introduce a 40 limit on the freebie with scameras to encourage use of the toll road. That wouldn't help congestion either.
They've already done that on the A446 running parallel to the toll road. Whilst the 60 limit remains, this road is used mainly by lorries not wanting to pay the £10 toll. A couple of scameras have been installed with weight sensors so that lorries get flashed for doing more than 40. The obvious result is that everyone has to do 40 in the line of traffic.
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Nime
Isn't a toll road really a privately-owned road?
Why can't the owners set their own speed limits?
Why can't the owners set their own speed limits?
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Rasher
quote:Originally posted by Nime:
Isn't a toll road really a privately-owned road?
Why can't the owners set their own speed limits?
That is an extremely interesting point.
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by andy c
quote:It sounds more like you're going to be pulling taxis off the road at busy times for inspections.
FFS i was joking LOL!
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Steve G
quote:Originally posted by andy c:
FFS i was joking LOL!
You have to be careful on here andy as not everyone realises when you're joking...
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by andy c
It just goes to show, steve. It just goes to show.... 
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Steve Toy
"FFS i was joking LOL!"
It's not usually the coppers that go for spot checks at awkward/busy times, it's the fucking council.
It's not usually the coppers that go for spot checks at awkward/busy times, it's the fucking council.
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Steve G
Up here there is always a crackdown on drink driving at this time of year. According to the news yesterday in the first week of the campaign there were 200 people charged, compared to 188 last year (both of which do seem like a lot).
There was also a report of a chap who just been convicted of drunk driving for the 9th time, in fact when he was caught this time he was still banned from a previous offence. He's been banned for life now plus a 12 month jail sentence - seems far, far too light IMHO.
There was also a report of a chap who just been convicted of drunk driving for the 9th time, in fact when he was caught this time he was still banned from a previous offence. He's been banned for life now plus a 12 month jail sentence - seems far, far too light IMHO.
Posted on: 14 December 2005 by Steve Toy
quote:Isn't a toll road really a privately-owned road?
Why can't the owners set their own speed limits?
Whilst effectively a private road in that it was built without using public funds, access is open to anyone wishing to pay the toll. It is basically a private road with public access so the road traffic laws of the land apply - including speed limits and lane discipline.
It would certainly be a worthy place for expermimentation into raising speeed limits, but for the fact that the government has found another pretext to limit speeds travelled by private transport - the environment.
I believe that a higher speed limit, say 90 or even 100mph would be appropriate on this particular road. Those who don't like it can use the freebie M6, or the A5, A38, A446 and M42.