Just slowing down.

[Potemkin Villager]

I couldn't help but smile at this e-mail a friend sent me.

" Ok so I was driving ****** home this evening and doing 60mph on the ****** to ******* Road. Lots of traffic and quite a few trucks delivering who knows what to who knows where. There had been some feature on the news about speed limiters being fitted to all new cars by whatever date.

Anyway I got to thinking: what if they were set to a maximum speed of 30 or maybe 20mph?

Effect

Besides everyone going crazy for a while it would mean:-

1. People couldn't commute far for work
2. There would be much less point in having a vehicle.
3. Fuel consumption would fall through the floor.
4. Imported perishable goods would become uneconomic
5. Locally produced goods take over from nationally or internationally produced goods.
6. Less or no road deaths
7. Less or no road kill
8. Less tourists
9.No need for motorways, traffic lights, speed cameras, traffic cops
10. A massive boost towards regional sustainability."

[adam2]

I cant imagine speed reductions on that sort of scale being achievable.

I and a few others have previously suggested that the default speed limit on rural roads be reduced from 60 MPH to 30 MPH. That produced howls of outrage.

I would support the following speed reductions.

From 70 to 60 on motorways.
From 60 to 30 on rural roads.
From 30 to 20 on local roads.

All in MPH, with the above being the normal or default limits, with higher or lower speed limits being permitted if some good reason exists.

[Potemkin Villager]

I cant imagine speed reductions on that sort of scale being achievable.

Yes it is bit like weaning addicts off crack cocaine, or sugar for that matter.

I make a point of trying to stick to a maximum of 50 on our main rural roads,
40 on others and strictly obey lesser speed limits. Even that very modest restraint
is still difficult and the temptation is always to press down with the right foot
when you are late for an appointment or
that sneaky feeling creeps up on you that you really aren't getting somewhere fast enough!

Of course this is not helped by there always being some obliging twat in a
range rover zooming up, well above the speed limit, and tailgating you with their irritating LED headlights on if unable to overtake instantly.

I used to think beemer drivers were the pick of the psycho driver bunch but I now feel range rover drivers
are the pick of the fruitcake mix.

[UndercoverElephant]

I cant imagine speed reductions on that sort of scale being achievable.

I and a few others have previously suggested that the default speed limit on rural roads be reduced from 60 MPH to 30 MPH. That produced howls of outrage.

I would support the following speed reductions.

From 70 to 60 on motorways.
From 60 to 30 on rural roads.
From 30 to 20 on local roads.

All in MPH, with the above being the normal or default limits, with higher or lower speed limits being permitted if some good reason exists.

20mph on minor urban and suburban roads would be both implementable and very much worth it. It has been pushed as far as you can reasonably push it by the green party in Brighton. Outside of built up areas I see no chance of getting agreement to do it.

[RenewableCandy]

I cant imagine speed reductions on that sort of scale being achievable.

Yes it is bit like weaning addicts off crack cocaine, or sugar for that matter.

I make a point of trying to stick to a maximum of 50 on our main rural roads,
40 on others and strictly obey lesser speed limits. Even that very modest restraint
is still difficult and the temptation is always to press down with the right foot
when you are late for an appointment or
that sneaky feeling creeps up on you that you really aren't getting somewhere fast enough!

Of course this is not helped by there always being some obliging twat in a
range rover zooming up, well above the speed limit, and tailgating you with their irritating LED headlights on if unable to overtake instantly.

I used to think beemer drivers were the pick of the psycho driver bunch but I now feel range rover drivers
are the pick of the fruitcake mix.

I can report that there are now cameras which spot tailgaters, and an entire Highways England (now National Highways, though they still only speak for England) campaign - "Don't be a Space Invader" - recently ran, to raise awareness and make people think.

The cameras have ANPR and (after the pictures are checked by real people to make sure it's proper tailgating and not a mistake) letters are sent to the 'offending' motorists.

How do I know this? If I told you, I'd have to kill you...

[Potemkin Villager]

Nice to hear from you again RC. I am not convinced though that merely sending these folk a letter will have much impact on their behavior.

[adam2]

Nice to hear from you again RC. I am not convinced though that merely sending these folk a letter will have much impact on their behavior.

It depends upon what the letter says!

"In the event of future offences you will be taken to the Tower of London and fed to the Royal lions*" would be a deterrent.

Or more realistically "Any future similar offences are likely to lead to prosecution, points on your driving licence, and higher insurance costs" whilst not QUITE as effective as being eaten by lions, would still be effective.

*Lions may have to be borrowed from London Zoo, or other authorised supplier of lions to H.M.

[Potemkin Villager]

personally I would prefer them being fed to sharks without the option of being stunned with CO2!

More humanely perhaps additionally a fine of 10% of annual income and three months community service working with folk recovering from injuries sustained in motor traffic accidents.

[Lurkalot2]

. I , through work , for a decade or so drove a vehicle limited to 62mph . I generally agree with most of the points , certainly less fuel was used. On the first point about distances commuted my experience was that we ended up just leaving earlier. When i first started work in 1980 the vans weren't limited and the longest journey was a fraction over an hour but by fifteen years ago we were travelling up to two hours to get to a job.