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Variable speed limits are widely used to aid traffic flow, but the RAC said this could be the first time they had been implemented to cut air pollution.
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"60mph speed limit proposal for stretch of M1 motorway"
(28 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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The RAC seem a little negative on the idea
Posted 11 years ago # -
I do love the rather subversive photo the BBC have chosen though!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Subversive? I think that is just an actual photo of the section of motorway in question.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Which would appear to be making the point that travelling as fast as 60mph is but a mere dream, despite the RACs dislike of it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I have tweeted Edmund King, the AA President, to show my disgust at his statement.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I know that section well - I get off the M1 at J29 when I visit my family by car, and I'm perplexed by it's choice. Other than J33-35 it's a rural section, where pollution doesn't pool. Okay, it can be busy, but less so than 26-25 through urban Nottingham, and a darn sight less busy than the area leading into London, where the air is definitely more tasty than it should be.
Odd.
Posted 11 years ago # -
From the discussion on PM yesterday, apparently the plan is to turn the hard shoulder into an extra driving lane, which brings the carriageway closer to people's houses, hence the need to cut speed limits to cut emissions.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't think that 15 feet will make much of a difference when for the vast majority of the section housing is a mile away
Scroll a bit north for the only urban section.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh - Wales has moved (just south of Jn 31 of the M1)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Rhodesia is just a few miles away too...
Posted 11 years ago # -
The RAC seem a little negative on the idea
Quite right, too. After all, who needs breathable air?
Posted 11 years ago # -
From 1973-1984, US Federal Law prohibited speed limits above 55mph, for reasons of fuel economy. I don't seem to recall the US collapsing into oblivion during this time.
If they set the limit to 60mph I guess most people will drive at 70mph, seeing as the de facto speed of a "free flowing" motorway seems to be speed limit + 10mph.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The only way this could be enforced is with [i]contant speed cameras[/i. Then car campaigners will complain about penalising drivers with subversive tax raising speed cameras.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Aren't average speed cameras used to enforce variable speed limits elsewhere?
Posted 11 years ago # -
The M42 south of Birmingham has them. It's much more pleasant - everyone rolling at the same speed - no need to change lanes all the time - no need to accelerate and brake so much.
Posted 11 years ago # -
A wee bit OT, but for all its car-centric image, for me the US felt like a more restricted environment to drive in than the UK.
Speed limits seemed a lot more sensible in Colorado: a lot of 20mph limits in towns (and priority for peds crossing), and a number of long sections of 40 mph on country highways (for example, on a number of passes with long sweeping curves) where national speed limits would apply in the UK.
Crucially, these limits seemed to be observed by the majority of drivers. I suspect a lot of that is due to enforcement (Highway patrol vehicles are in evidence on a number of stretches), but some of it will be cultural too. Less densely populated areas seem to encourage much more relaxed driving styles.
Back to the UK, I'm convinced that the culturally acceptable disregard for motorway speed limits filters down to disregard for all speed limits. I'd be all for offering the carrot of upping the motorway limit to 80mph for the quid pro quo of actually enforcing speed limits at the stated limit rather than some notional threshold 10% plus whatever the law-enforcer in question feels like.
Posted 11 years ago # -
When James May was driving the Bugati in Germany at speeds of ~250mph, he slows towards the end and goes to open the door as he approaches the stop point only to glance at his speedo to see he's still doing over 70mph! The problem with upping motorway speed limits is after you come off a motorway there is a sense that you are driving slower than you are. This leads to speeding.
If speed limits were reduced on motorways, speeds around motorways (and elsewhere) could be seen to come down.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@DaveC I doubt a change from 70mph to 80 mph would make much difference to that sensation, especially given the current wide flouting of the limit on motorways. However, a few speed cameras (perhaps preceded by those smiley/sad face speed warnings beforehand to mitigate the "fleecing the motorist" whines) on A roads near motorway exits might sort it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I am not sure if there are any positives to come out of raising the motorway speed limit other than pandering to the emotive demand by some for more speed and very marginal gains on journey times.
Against that, there is the rationale that higher limits will lead to greater variability in speeds which leads to more accidents. Those who are happy enough to travel a lower speeds or who have cars that don't perform well at 80 mph get penalised. Then undoubtedly pollution rises, both particulate and greenhouse gases. It's said that this could lead to as much as 20% increase.
Posted 11 years ago # -
As Dave Allen said:-
My new car is great, so fast: it's saved me half an hour on the journey from Glasgow to London
What did you do with the time?
Bored the ar^w heck out of everyone telling them about it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
They didn't sell it very well if they said it was to do with reducing emissions. If they'd have sold as a variable speed limit system for reducing congestion/avoiding flow breakdown (like on the M25), there would've been no complaints.
For hard-shoulder running, the speed limit needs to come down anyway to avoid accidents when there are breakdowns.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@amir I was just suggesting upping the limit to 80mph as a sop to get actually enforcing the limit through with fewer moans.
Since I adopted the cruise control at 68mph approach to motorway driving I've found the experience infinitely more relaxed and less stressful. Unfortunately this only works until you get south of Preston and you are suddenly surrounded by cars...
Posted 11 years ago # -
"... very marginal gains on journey times."
That's something that needs pointing out to people. On my journey to Aberdeenshire, around 120 miles are on dual carriageway with a 70 limit. That's 1h42m @ 70mph, and 1h30m @ 80mph. So the higher limit would save a whole 12 minutes.
I remember as a schoolkid sitting on a bus into town and hearing two guys talking about speed limits and that just going 10mph faster saved something like an hour between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Even then I had the maths nous to know it was utter bunkum, but people say this kind of thing and truly believe it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"upping the limit to 80mph as a sop"
I wish the politicians would tell people to grow up.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"I wish the politicians would tell people to grow up. "
Actually I wish the politicians would grow up.
Posted 11 years ago # -
People are idiots, unfortunately.
Posted 11 years ago #
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