80mph Motorway limit looks to be coming this summer

[st4]

It's a question of attitude. 60-70 on a Motorway is not bumbling along. You can do 200mph on an empty motorway...doesn't make it acceptable. Yes we know you like some speed Steve...I was 26 once too...but nowadays I tend to bumble along at the legal max, be that 60, 70 or 75. I make progress...

I too bumble along revelling in the fact I am saving money. But 60-70mph on a decent well sighted road is hardly moving at a lick befitting the capabilities of your car. Nice and relaxing aye. I often tend to cruise just under the NSL on shortish runs for all the time I gain.

However, I feel lane discipline, poor judgement are the causes of motorway congestion. Often on the part of a HGV driver to take 30secs to pass another.

If you were in a car and did that, and a copper was behind you, you'd be pulled over for a chat.

I applaud the 80mph limit, but it is that a legal limit, there should be no obligation to travel at it but there is an obligation for decent lane discipline and well timed overtakes for yourself and others to impinge on others as little as possible.

 

[verytalldave]

I love this sort of statement...you know the one...it means nothing but we're all supposed to agree. What exactly is wrong with GB motorways, apart from any local issues you have?

Un-repaired pot holes.

Unnecessary lane closures for sometimes years for non-existent works.

And..............
Whoever designed the junction on the M25 where it meets the M26 needs removing from the face of the planet.
I cant see that being allowed anywhere else except jolly old England.

 

[renault12ts]

He may take 30 seconds to overtake, but is that wrong?

 

[st4]

Something from the 1960s, I would guess.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu...n/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_188029.pdf

Brake and tyre technology has moved on a lot since then. See braking distance as a sum of a variable (the cars performance) and the constant (the person behind the wheels reaction time and skill). The variable has dropped a lot, so still overall braking distances are down.

 

[MOCAŠ]

A couple of years ago Autocar put an 1928 Austin 7 saloon through their current road test. That stopped from 30 mph in 28 metres (skinny tyres and cable-operated drum brakes on front wheels only) vs current Highway Code figure of 23 metres. So not a huge difference!

An Austin 7 doesn't weigh very much either, though. A car's weight has a lot to do with its braking distance.

 

[st4]

He may take 30 seconds to overtake, but is that wrong?

Yes. Its unacceptable. If you were in a car, you'd be done for it (copper told me and others at a road safety briefing GTG in Jul 2009). Lorries get of scot free with this sort of inadequate progress. Its a motorway, lane 1 fine to go slow. Lanes 2 and 3 are overtaking lanes for faster vehicles to use. Its not a country road, you have visibility often >1/2 mile. You can stop a car from 130mph in 1/2 mile.

Ian, (Flanaia1) has posted good things about the A1 when lorries were banned from overtaking others and progress was a lot better. Not talking about joy riding 100mph down the A1, but simple 60-70mph car drivers being able to hold an average speed throughout a journey.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Although undoubtedly the braking distances are far shorter nowadays, the thinking distances are a constant.

I wouldn't be surprised if overall reaction times have actually increased, but to sat navs, mobile phones, etc. It really depends what the driver is doing at the time.

 

[renault12ts]

I disagree, on a 3 lane motorway why should all lorries travel in convoy at the speed of the slowest ?

 

[st4]

I disagree, on a 3 lane motorway why should all lorries travel in convoy at the speed of the slowest ?

Because they reduce the speed of 2 other lanes of traffic down to their highest one, which can be 20mph less than theirs.

 

[steve333]

He may take 30 seconds to overtake, but is that wrong?

Nothing wrong with that as long as the overtaking lorry doesn't pull into lane 2 forcing the traffic already in that lane to brake/pullout into lane 3(forcing traffic moving faster in that lane to brake which can cause tailbacks further back down the motorway known as shockwaving)

 

[renault12ts]

Because they reduce the speed of 2 other lanes of traffic down to their highest one, which can be 20mph less than theirs.

Why 2 other lanes...surely just one.

 

[Charles Morgan]

The worst thing possible was to have speed limiters at 60mph on lorries. Instead of being able to overtake sensibly they now have to crawl past at the same time causing serious congestion all around them.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Why?

Because it assumes that all traffic in that lane will travel at the same speed (or even be capable of doing so). We've already heard that some lorries can only achieve 45mph, and some HGV drivers may choose to maintain a speed lower than the 60mph imposed by their limiters in order to save fuel or increase their range. And then there will be the "Sunday drivers" who are happy to stay at 40-50mph in lane 1 all day long.

So should every other lorry, bus and coach be forced to follow the slowest vehicle in front of them for as long as it remains there? The result would be frustration, leading to road rage and potentially more accidents. Not to mention the overall effect on the logistics of moving freight by road (which is a separate discussion).

 

[st4]

Nothing wrong with that as long as the overtaking lorry doesn't pull into lane 2 forcing the traffic already in that lane to brake/pullout into lane 3(forcing traffic moving faster in that lane to brake which can cause tailbacks further back down the motorway known as shockwaving)

But they have to move into lane 2 to become an overtaking lorry?

It should be outlawed and rigerously policed and fines imposed in the same heinous manner that motorists are persecuted for minor transgressions of the law.

Or they can just de restrict lorries and allow them the same 80mph as cars. I for one do not have an issue with that.

 

[st4]

Because it assumes that all traffic in that lane will travel at the same speed (or even be capable of doing so). We've already heard that some lorries can only achieve 45mph, and some HGV drivers may choose to maintain a speed lower than the 60mph imposed by their limiters in order to save fuel or increase their range. And then there will be the "Sunday drivers" who are happy to stay at 40-50mph in lane 1 all day long.

Why should a lorry that can only attain 45mph be allowed on a motorway. A 50cc scooter is not, why should a lorry be allowed on that can only "attain" that speed.

So should every other lorry, bus and coach be forced to follow the slowest vehicle in front of them for as long as it remains there? The result would be frustration, leading to road rage and potentially more accidents. Not to mention the overall effect on the logistics of moving freight by road (which is a spearate discussion).

No but if they cannot pass it within an acceptable time frame then aye, they should stay put. A lorry can attain 60mph, something doing 45mph will not take it long to pass. A lorry doing 59.5mph in lane 1 and one doing 60mph in lane 2, thats the issue I mention.

 

[renault12ts]

But they have to move into lane 2 to become an overtaking lorry?

It should be outlawed and rigerously policed and fines imposed in the same heinous manner that motorists are persecuted for minor transgressions of the law.

Or they can just de restrict lorries and allow them the same 80mph as cars. I for one do not have an issue with that.

So the commercial backbone of Britain should be a no go area for lorries...or at least,don't get in my way places? What Charles said^...

 

[MOCAŠ]

Nothing wrong with that as long as the overtaking lorry doesn't pull into lane 2 forcing the traffic already in that lane to brake/pullout into lane 3(forcing traffic moving faster in that lane to brake which can cause tailbacks further back down the motorway known as shockwaving)

Nothing worng with that either, provided lane 3 is free enough to allow the driver in lane 2 to pull out. It's call reading the road ahead. If I'm in lane 2 and see a vehicle in lane 1 ahead that is closing up on the vehicle in front of it, I instictively move into lane 3 (assuming that its safe to do so) in anticipation of the vehicle I spotted wanting to overtake the one in front of it.

Too many drivers seem to wait for others to indicate before reading the situation, and then there are those who just manoeuvre without indicating (or even looking) at all...

 

[st4]

So the commercial backbone of Britain should be a no go area for lorries...or at least,don't get in my way places? What Charles said^...

There is another argument and we are going OT for moving more freight by rail. Why does an Mway need to a commercial back bone? Way OT now.

I dont see why people should be held up so one lorry can inch past another at .5mph difference. It would be unacceptable if it was a car doing it on another car, so the same should apply to lorries. Simple.

 

[steve333]

But they have to move into lane 2 to become an overtaking lorry?

It should be outlawed and rigerously policed and fines imposed in the same heinous manner that motorists are persecuted for minor transgressions of the law.

Or they can just de restrict lorries and allow them the same 80mph as cars. I for one do not have an issue with that.

Steve,re read my post,of course they have to move into lane 2 to overtake & as long as they do so without forcing traffic already in that lane to brake there's no problem,how many times have you been in lane 2 & a lorry pulls out from lane 1 (frustrated that he's stuck behind another lorry moving slower than he is)when they know you are moving faster & will have to brake/change lanes-they wouldn't do it if they were in a car though i suspect(hope).

 

[st4]

Nothing worng with that either, provided lane 3 is free enough to allow the driver in lane 2 to pull out. It's call reading the road ahead. If I'm in lane 2 and see a vehicle in lane 1 ahead that is closing up on the vehicle in front of it, I instictively move into lane 3 (assuming that its safe to do so) in anticipation of the vehicle I spotted wanting to overtake the one in front of it.

Too many drivers seem to wait for others to indicate before reading the situation, and then there are those who just manoeuvre without indicating (or even looking) at all...

For once I agree with you.

However you might still be holding someone up who is closing on your faster, but if they are majorly breaching the NSL, that is their problem.

What about the 65mph car driver forced back to 55mph and lane 3 is too busy to merge into.