Speed tolerance reduced for December and January

[Berries]

I'm not going to accept that as a valid argument. By that logic, why don't we just reduce speed limits to 80 km/h and make things even safer? Apparently at 80 km/h, risk of fatality is 58% or so, while at 100 km the risk is near 90%.

I'll make a prediction. Within two or three years the open road speed limit in NZ will be 90km/h, with the exception of some parts of the Auckland motorway system that will remain at 100km/h. And that'll be on the good state highways. Anything a little bit twisty will be 80km/h.

[Zedder]

Yep, and add taking the roads less travelled and the fun factor remains the same. Or maybe I'm just taking the right happy pills?

Lol, until the cops work out they need to target the roads less travelled 'cos the public are using them more and revenue's dropping on the main roads.

Maybe "head in the sand a bit" pills.

[James Deuce]

Lol, until the cops work out they need to target the roads less travelled 'cos the public are using them more and revenue's dropping on the main roads.

Maybe "head in the sand a bit" pills.

Doesn't happen. 99.95% of the "general public" stick to the roads more traveled. Very few people are passionate about the journey, more but still few in the scheme of things are passionate about their mode of transport, but most have a car to get from point A to points B, C, and D. Points F-Z are never considered and point E is reached 1-3 times a year, usually at a pace that drives others mental and involves occupying the left lane of every set of overtaking lanes or slow vehicle passing lanes at 120 km/hr unless they are on a twisty mountain pass whereupon they will use the entire width of both lanes to safely traverse the mighty and dangerous mountain pass at 30 km/hr.

Motorcyclists are increasingly regarded as weirdly tied to their vehicles. For most, cars and scooters are appliances and a growing percentage of young uns don't give a rat's arse about owning any sort of vehicle, preferring urban living and public transport to suburban sprawl.

There's no speeding scam. Just laws that don't quite limit vehicular carnage to a level to encompass the lowest common denominator.

If you can't work within or around the road laws you have no business being enticed by motorcycling. A third of riding a bike is being different. The second third is openly displaying to other road users that your scrotum or labia is bigger than theirs. The last is being clever enough to know when and where to have some fun.

[caspernz]

Lol, until the cops work out they need to target the roads less travelled 'cos the public are using them more and revenue's dropping on the main roads.

Maybe "head in the sand a bit" pills.

Meh, radar detector combined with a modicum of common sense beats that sad drum you're banging any day of the week, and twice on Sundays

[Zedder]

Meh, radar detector combined with a modicum of common sense beats that sad drum you're banging any day of the week, and twice on Sundays

Refer to my post number 328 in reply to Damantis and radar detectors.

[Zedder]

Doesn't happen. 99.95% of the "general public" stick to the roads more traveled. Very few people are passionate about the journey, more but still few in the scheme of things are passionate about their mode of transport, but most have a car to get from point A to points B, C, and D. Points F-Z are never considered and point E is reached 1-3 times a year, usually at a pace that drives others mental and involves occupying the left lane of every set of overtaking lanes or slow vehicle passing lanes at 120 km/hr unless they are on a twisty mountain pass whereupon they will use the entire width of both lanes to safely traverse the mighty and dangerous mountain pass at 30 km/hr.

Motorcyclists are increasingly regarded as weirdly tied to their vehicles. For most, cars and scooters are appliances and a growing percentage of young uns don't give a rat's arse about owning any sort of vehicle, preferring urban living and public transport to suburban sprawl.

There's no speeding scam. Just laws that don't quite limit vehicular carnage to a level to encompass the lowest common denominator.

If you can't work within or around the road laws you have no business being enticed by motorcycling. A third of riding a bike is being different. The second third is openly displaying to other road users that your scrotum or labia is bigger than theirs. The last is being clever enough to know when and where to have some fun.

The info posted on this thread eg: The video featuring John Lambert and earlier info about the distraction component being mistaken for speeding as a factor in crashes suggest there is a scam.

Iirc, Scuba Steve and Rastuscat once posted about a deferrment experiment to do with not fining bikers who broke the road rules. To my knowledge, that was a complete failure and it was clear tptb wanted the revenue.

Yesterday, I rode the State Highway 16 and SH 1 loop, which I do several times every week and on weekends. Since the lower tolerance I have noticed the traffic volume has increased a lot on SH 16 while SH 1 has reduced.

[James Deuce]

SH16 isn't the road less traveled and most people can't ride/drive competently, despite what their ego tells them. No scam, just idiot road users. As suggested by your distraction conspiracy.

Oh, and anyone who has worked for VicRoads is suspect in regard to integrity.

[Zedder]

SH16 isn't the road less traveled and most people can't ride/drive competently, despite what their ego tells them. No scam, just idiot road users. As suggested by your distraction conspiracy.

Oh, and anyone who has worked for VicRoads is suspect in regard to integrity.

State Highway 16 is a road less traveled, it is also promoted as an alternative route to SH1 during holiday periods.

Conspiracy? The guy who researched it, and wrote books on the subject, is a 20 year veteran in transportation human factors and ergonomic research.

If Lambert did once work for VicRoads why is he now slagging them? It looks like he's seen there's a problem.

[caspernz]

If you can't work within or around the road laws you have no business being enticed by motorcycling. A third of riding a bike is being different. The second third is openly displaying to other road users that your scrotum or labia is bigger than theirs. The last is being clever enough to know when and where to have some fun.

Bingo, you got my point of view in one easy paragraph. Seems the last part is lost on many...

[James Deuce]

SH16 isn't. I would suggest, and could probably research it without much trouble but really can't be bothered arguing the point with conspiracy nutters, that SH16 sees more traffic in a weekend day between Te Atatu and Helensville than SH2 between Featherston and Masterton at peak weekday times. The road less traveled is relative, but there is no way I would consider any commuter dormitory feeder SH near Auckland as lightly traveled. Ever.

Distraction is just part of the bad rider/driver equation. There's no scam. People don't see distraction or tiredness as issues. Speed and the consequences of its inappropriate use are much easier to demonstrate. As are those related to Drunk/Drugged driving. The "scam" is called "fighting a battle you have a faint hope of arriving at a companionable draw instead of catastrophic defeat".

My opinion is that people are entitled dicks and hold fast to the right to risk the lives of their passengers and the other road users they share the road with at all times, up to and including causing their own death. Getting exercised about laws around road use is pointless. All laws are metaphorical ambulances at the bottom of precipitous virtual cliffs. The only people who can change laws are road users who demonstrate statistically that they drive/ride well enough to be trusted. That takes time, commitment, and the thing that people shy away from most: personal responsibility.

[Zedder]

Bingo, you got my point of view in one easy paragraph. Seems the last part is lost on many...

But I never wrote it was about motorcycling, I include all traffic. Seems that was lost on you.

[James Deuce]

But I never wrote it was about motorcycling, I include all traffic. Seems that was lost on you.

It was lost on me, but I've never been any good with people.

[Zedder]

SH16 isn't. I would suggest, and could probably research it without much trouble but really can't be bothered arguing the point with conspiracy nutters, that SH16 sees more traffic in a weekend day between Te Atatu and Helensville than SH2 between Featherston and Masterton at peak weekday times. The road less traveled is relative, but there is no way I would consider any commuter dormitory feeder SH near Auckland as lightly traveled. Ever.

Distraction is just part of the bad rider/driver equation. There's no scam. People don't see distraction or tiredness as issues. Speed and the consequences of its inappropriate use are much easier to demonstrate. As are those related to Drunk/Drugged driving. The "scam" is called "fighting a battle you have a faint hope of arriving at a companionable draw instead of catastrophic defeat".

My opinion is that people are entitled dicks and hold fast to the right to risk the lives of their passengers and the other road users they share the road with at all times, up to and including causing their own death. Getting exercised about laws around road use is pointless. All laws are metaphorical ambulances at the bottom of precipitous virtual cliffs. The only people who can change laws are road users who demonstrate statistically that they drive/ride well enough to be trusted. That takes time, commitment, and the thing that people shy away from most: personal responsibility.

Once again, it's not a conspiracy about distraction. My point is, and backed by research, all too often speeding has got the blame for crashes. However, there's other factors. That's the facts.

[rastuscat]

I LOL'd at the speed/speeding debate with Mr McWhirter.

Like many others, if I saw strict policing of mobile phone use, tailgating, red light running and the like, I could stomach strict policing of speed. But since so much really dangerous road use goes uncorrected (maybe because it is less empirically based and so more open to challenge), the focus on speed stinks of (a) the pollies being able to say "see, we are doing something" and (b) revenue collection. And that erodes public confidence that it is being done for the right reasons.

Ya see, that's the problem with such a narrow focus on one topic.

The Popos do a shit load more than just write speeding tickets. I totally agree with the above, where I think it was Skoober who said that distraction is the big issue.

My section writes feck all speeding tickets, but a shit load of cellphone, stop sign, seatbelt and traffic light offences. I don't have them do that to suck up to KB keyboard warriors, I happen to believe that's the bigger issue. Basic, fundamental bad driving habits.

I also happen to believe in the speed thing in general, but happen to believe that there are enough Popos doing it without my troops's input. So we do other stuff as quoted.

Ironic, coz each time we interact with some distracted driver, they call us revenue gathering tax collectors. Anyone see a theme? I'll help.............most want the laws enforced, just not on them.

Irony in this comment too. Lots tell us how bad the drivers in NZ are, then tell us they should be allowed to drive faster. Wot? Lots of bad drivers driving faster?

Maybe I'll go start a thread about the other things we focus on, and see how much that interests people.

[Zedder]

It was lost on me, but I've never been any good with people.

Well you did focus just on the being enticed by motorcycling part so I'd agree.