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:Me]

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?