What the?

[Beemer]

Oh yay, Nanny has her eye on us yet again!

Call for speed limits to be lowered
12 August 2005

Open-road and urban speed limits should be lowered, the Local Authority Traffic Institute of New Zealand (TRAFINZ) said today.


President Andy Foster said the 100kmh speed limit was too fast for most of New Zealand's roads - including sections of State Highway One - and should be lowered on sub-standard roads until safety barriers could be installed.

He admitted the lowering of speed limits to 80kmh would be unpopular in large sections of the community - and among many politicians.

However, he said the suggestion of a wire barrier along large undivided sections of State Highway One "would also be unpopular".

Mr Foster, a Wellington city councillor, said the 50kmh urban speed limit was "far too fast" in residential streets.

At the annual conference held this week, TRAFINZ strongly supported plans to introduce a blanket 40kmh speed limit.

The aims were similar to the philosophy adopted in the United Kingdom and European countries where there was commitment from politicians and the general community, to the elimination of death and injury on the roads, he said.

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe conference agreed there should be renewed commitment to meet the Road Safety Strategy 2010 target of no more than 300 deaths and 4500 hospitalisations a year by 2010.

TRAFINZ also says the minimum driving age of 15 is too low.

"The decline in our road toll has stopped, after big improvements since the 1980s ," Mr Foster said.

"The 100kmh limit is fine on many of our roads, but only until you or somebody else makes a mistake.

"You can be the best driver in the world, but it is not much protection when somebody coming the other way gets it wrong and there's only a bit of paint separating you."

Road crashes remained the number-one cause of involuntary death in the first five decades of life.

"The need to lower the open-road speed limit is really something that will only be possible if the whole New Zealand community agree to take responsibility for the fact that New Zealand's road toll is devastatingly hig h."

Building more overtaking lanes would be a solution for drivers visualising the nightmare of being stuck behind a truck or caravan for mile after mile.

"What people may not realise is that the annual cost of death and injury on our roads is about $3.6 billion.

"That is more than the cost of congestion, which seems to get all the focus," Mr Foster said.

[Lou Girardin]

Let's not stop there, I demand a man with a red flag walking in front of every vehicle. (Or in my case, a cheerleader)

[Beemer]

Let's not stop there, I demand a man with a red flag walking in front of every vehicle. (Or in my case, a cheerleader)

No, go one better and get a man with a lamp - for night time riding, of course! How about banning anything other than pedestrians? And make us all vegetarians at the same time. Bring in compulsory Roman sandal wearing and kaftans.

[vifferman]

FFS!

It's got nothing to do with the fookn speed limits - it's all about crap attitudes and the resulting crap driving they engender! Sounds to me like a way to increase speeding revenues, although I would agree that speed limits around schools and the like be dropped to 40 km/h during the times kids are about (say 8:30ish to 9:15, and 3:00 pm to 4:15 or whatever). They have this in Perth, and it's fairly rigorously enforced, and works well.

Many city streets (where there aren't many houses) need the speed limit increased to 60, and some highways (motorways) should be 120.

[Beemer]

FFS!

It's got nothing to do with the fookn speed limits - it's all about crap attitudes and the resulting crap driving they engender! Sounds to me like a way to increase speeding revenues, although I would agree that speed limits around schools and the like be dropped to 40 km/h during the times kids are about (say 8:30ish to 9:15, and 3:00 pm to 4:15 or whatever). They have this in Perth, and it's fairly rigorously enforced, and works well.

Many city streets (where there aren't many houses) need the speed limit increased to 60, and some highways (motorways) should be 120.

So true - no matter what the speed limit is, someone will always kill themselves because their driving skills are poor. I agree that in some areas the speed limit is inappropriate at certain times and around schools is a prime example. Likewise in industrial areas or ones with very few houses, the limit could easily be 60 or 70. And for those lovely straights, 120 would be great!

The only thing is that you have to keep an eye out for speed signs - in Australia we found you could go from 90 to 100 then to 80 - all in the space of a few kilometres!

[hondacmx450]

Oh yay, Nanny has her eye on us yet again!

Call for speed limits to be lowered
12 August 2005

Open-road and urban speed limits should be lowered, the Local Authority Traffic Institute of New Zealand (TRAFINZ) said today.


President Andy Foster said the 100kmh speed limit was too fast for most of New Zealand's roads - including sections of State Highway One - and should be lowered on sub-standard roads until safety barriers could be installed.

He admitted the lowering of speed limits to 80kmh would be unpopular in large sections of the community - and among many politicians.

However, he said the suggestion of a wire barrier along large undivided sections of State Highway One "would also be unpopular".

Mr Foster, a Wellington city councillor, said the 50kmh urban speed limit was "far too fast" in residential streets.

At the annual conference held this week, TRAFINZ strongly supported plans to introduce a blanket 40kmh speed limit.

The aims were similar to the philosophy adopted in the United Kingdom and European countries where there was commitment from politicians and the general community, to the elimination of death and injury on the roads, he said.

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe conference agreed there should be renewed commitment to meet the Road Safety Strategy 2010 target of no more than 300 deaths and 4500 hospitalisations a year by 2010.

TRAFINZ also says the minimum driving age of 15 is too low.

"The decline in our road toll has stopped, after big improvements since the 1980s ," Mr Foster said.

"The 100kmh limit is fine on many of our roads, but only until you or somebody else makes a mistake.

"You can be the best driver in the world, but it is not much protection when somebody coming the other way gets it wrong and there's only a bit of paint separating you."

Road crashes remained the number-one cause of involuntary death in the first five decades of life.

"The need to lower the open-road speed limit is really something that will only be possible if the whole New Zealand community agree to take responsibility for the fact that New Zealand's road toll is devastatingly hig h."

Building more overtaking lanes would be a solution for drivers visualising the nightmare of being stuck behind a truck or caravan for mile after mile.

"What people may not realise is that the annual cost of death and injury on our roads is about $3.6 billion.

"That is more than the cost of congestion, which seems to get all the focus," Mr Foster said.
i like the wire in the middel of the road the cops cant turn around and get ya hahahaahahahaha not that it would stop some of us any way hehhe

[vifferman]

i like the wire in the middel of the road the cops cant turn around and get ya hahahaahahahaha not that it would stop some of us any way hehhe
By the sounds of things, they could just ram them out of the way in any case. But they'll probably have special can-opener thingos (technical term) on the front bumper of their cars, so they can snip their way through.

[SPman]

Another one!
I will not comment, except to say, plonkers like this need to be taken to the square and publicly rooted!

maybe not - they might actually enjoy it!

[MSTRS]

Road crashes remained the number-one cause of involuntary death in the first five decades of life.


I didn't realise that death was voluntary (not counting suicide here)

[Lou Girardin]

I didn't realise that death was voluntary (not counting suicide here)

I think voluntary death is the biggest killer of young men.
Damned if I know why though.
Perhaps we need a man with a red flag in front of all young men all the time.

[Big Dave]

I demand a man with a red flag walking in front of every vehicle.

Don't go waving a red flag at that lot of bull!

[Gremlin]

noooo.... 50 means 60, so if 40, it would mean 50...... nooooooooooo *runs off back into darkness gibbering to myself*

[bugjuice]

fuck it. I'm just gonna sell the bike and car, and walk everywhere. It'll be way cheaper and by the looks of it, the same fukin speed..

However, he said the suggestion of a wire barrier along large undivided sections of State Highway One "would also be unpopular".

errrr.. would be unpopular? I think they are unpopular.. bit late there..

[Ixion]

Oh yay, Nanny has her eye on us yet again!

Call for speed limits to be lowered
12 August 2005

Open-road and urban speed limits should be lowered, the Local Authority Traffic Institute of New Zealand (TRAFINZ) said today.


President Andy Foster said the 100kmh speed limit was too fast for most of New Zealand's roads - ...

Well, this Nana says that stupid old men , obviously in the grip of terminal Shrivelled Ball Syndrome should shut up. All he's proving is that HE is an incompetant driver.

Meh, I HATE old people. Why can't they ever just STFU.

Grr - rant over, it's been a bad day folks, don't need crap like that to finish it off.

[parsley]

He admitted the lowering of speed limits to 80kmh would be unpopular in large sections of the community - and among many politicians.
I'll say. How's Helen going to get to the rugby on time?

[MSTRS]

I'll say. How's Helen going to get to the rugby on time?
A little thing like speed limit didn't stop her before - why should it stop her in the future?

[Hitcher]

No, go one better and get a man with a lamp - for night time riding, of course! How about banning anything other than pedestrians? And make us all vegetarians at the same time. Bring in compulsory Roman sandal wearing and kaftans.
Are you voting Green this election?

Yay, tofu!

[SARGE]

FFS!

It's got nothing to do with the fookn speed limits - it's all about crap attitudes and the resulting crap driving they engender! Sounds to me like a way to increase speeding revenues, although I would agree that speed limits around schools and the like be dropped to 40 km/h during the times kids are about (say 8:30ish to 9:15, and 3:00 pm to 4:15 or whatever). They have this in Perth, and it's fairly rigorously enforced, and works well.

Many city streets (where there aren't many houses) need the speed limit increased to 60, and some highways (motorways) should be 120.


in the States.. (Ohio) there is a school zone speed of 20 mph (32 kph) during school hours.. ( HEAVILY enforced.. double fines and points)

on open roads in areas of less than 30,ooo ppl.. the speed is 75 mph (120 kph)

[NotaGoth]

Wow.... rugby.. if it was cause of someone being on their death bed maybe I could at least understand... but the rugby.. argh...



80............80???????????????????


*BuyZ* self a ticket OUT of NZ..

[pete376403]

Open road limit of 80 has been done before - Muldoon bought it in during the '67 (?) fuel crisis, along with carless days.
I wonder if the 80 limit had any effect on the road death rate?

[spudchucka]

President Andy Foster said the 100kmh speed limit was too fast
Will somebody please track Andy down and kick him in the nuts? :oi-grr:

[Sniper]

Road crashes remained the number-one cause of involuntary death in the first five decades of life.



Bloody govt. They are all for doing this and that but are they doing what we the people want? I can understand where they are coming from but they should do more research and find where the more likelyhood an accident, thats where protective measurements should be taken, not imposing them on the country. Can you imagine doing 80kmh on some roads on the SI west coast?

This goverment is a fucken law unto themselves and they do as they bloody well please. No real census (Not sure if I used the word in the right sense) on anything, just yea lets go ahead and do that and then we can break it ourselves by needing to get to a rugby game. What are they thinking, that they are more special than us? They may have studied law and things to get were they are but thats where their skills end. Put one of those buggers in an urban enviroment for a couple of weeks and you will see how far talking about maybe doing something that might be finished in 10 years will get you?

The only time I will be happy with the govt is when they start including the people in bloody decitions that involve the people. I spent 17 years under my parents rule, I'll be buggered if these people are going to tell me I cant do this, I have to travel slower and pay more taxes when they do buger all to prove where my money is going. You know includin the 5c tax on petrol, the govt gets a total of 70c a litre? And all that to fix AUCKLANDS ROADS? What abouts the thousands of kilometers of other roads in this country?

All I can say is....... Bastards!! Now this is my veiw point so this isn't an attack on what anyone else has said although I welcome your comments

[myvice]

Maybe we can have a special lane for all the leaders, that way they wont be late home while the rest of us sit in traffic at 30kph, standard speed in Auckland anyway, motorways included!
We can have our cars/bikes governed to 20kph for the first year of our licences then 45kph for the next two years finally graduating to 70kph.
Doesn’t matter if no one likes the idea as we live in a democratic society it was our choice to have them in power, so any thing they decide will be our own best interests, therefor, no complaints!
Any complaints will be dealt with harshly! We will re-word the round-a-bout rules and put cheese cutters along footpaths.
We will know if you don’t like us as we have installed cameras in all your houses and workplaces as an anti terrorist manoeuvre.
Ve vill start imprinting on your young that all rules are for their protection and reporting parental activates is revarded!
VE HAFT ZE POWER!!!

[Beemer]

This goverment is a fucken law unto themselves and they do as they bloody well please. No real census (Not sure if I used the word in the right sense) on anything, just yea lets go ahead and do that and then we can break it ourselves by needing to get to a rugby game.

I think you mean consensus - general or widespread agreement. Sorry, but Hitcher must be busy! :msn-wink:

[Hitcher]

I think you mean consensus - general or widespread agreement. Sorry, but Hitcher must be busy!
It's nice to have somebody else carry this tremendous load...

[Beemer]

It's nice to have somebody else carry this tremendous load...

Pedants unite! Or, as the Manawatu Standard famously reported once - "pendants " unite!

[Hitcher]

Pedants unite! Or, as the Manawatu Standard famously reported once - "pendants " unite!
You nearly blew it. Easy on the "pedant" epithet...

[Beemer]

I'll go off and party now... 60th party to go to! Not as boring as it sounds - two mates turning 30!