Lower Speed Tolerances - Whodathunkit

[pritch]

So... you drive/ride below 100km/h or above 104km/h?

The latter, conditions permitting of course.

[old slider]

It never fails to amuse me that so many self declared "Experienced" (skilled .. ???) riders ... have difficulty when riding their own motorcycle ... to keep to the posted speed limit ... without the need to be constantly checking.

Most Licensed motorists have trouble understanding that the posted open road speed limit is 100 km/hr. And ... you CAN be ticked for 1 km/hr over that. It is up to the discretion of the officer at the time the motorist is stopped ... to issue a ticket. OR NOT !!! Your attitude (and often his/hers) will decide the outcome. Fucking bleating about a bullshit "Tolerance" later in Court ... will be grasping at straws.

We all know the rules ... if you're big enough to break them ... be big enough to take the hit if you get pinged. Too many motorcyclists are dead because they were simply going too fast for the conditions ... so the actual speed is irrelevant. I Hope that none of you reading this ... will be the next one to die this way.

We need much much longer passing lanes if we are being asked to pass those slower travelling 90-95 kmh vehicles whilst staying at 100kmh our selves. sounds blimming dangerous to me.

[FJRider]

We need much much longer passing lanes if we are being asked to pass those slower travelling 90-95 kmh vehicles whilst staying at 100kmh our selves. sounds blimming dangerous to me.

Again ... you know the rules ... there has NEVER been any guarantee in New Zealand legislation that all vehicles in any passing lanes ... at any/all times can overtake all slow vehicles ahead of them. NOBODY ASKS YOU TO PASS ANYBODY. Its the overwhelming idea that nobody can possibly be restricted/slowed/inconvenienced in their travels ... and that seems to be the main cause of the road rage attitudes and mayhem on our roads.


Personally ... I do my overtaking outside "overtaking" lanes ... especially in busy traffic times. If I cannot pass safely ... I don't. Those that lack confidence, ability and skill to do this safely in places other than passing lanes ... should just ride (safely) on quiet roads.

Your neck and your choice. But the rules wont change anytime soon.

[old slider]

Again ... you know the rules ... there has NEVER been any guarantee in New Zealand legislation that all vehicles in any passing lanes ... at any/all times can overtake all slow vehicles ahead of them. NOBODY ASKS YOU TO PASS ANYBODY. Its the overwhelming idea that nobody can possibly be restricted/slowed/inconvenienced in their travels ... and that seems to be the main cause of the road rage attitudes and mayhem on our roads.


Personally ... I do my overtaking outside "overtaking" lanes ... especially in busy traffic times. If I cannot pass safely ... I don't. Those that lack confidence, ability and skill to do this safely in places other than passing lanes ... should just ride (safely) on quiet roads.

Your neck and your choice. But the rules wont change anytime soon.

I agree with most of that, but I will stick by my opinion that passing a vehicle of any type or number whether on passing lanes or not is dangerous if you stay at or under the rules, I think getting past and back onto your side of the road as quickly and as safely as possible is paramount, you guys that pass obeying the road rules maybe the reason NZ has so many head ons.?

[neels]

Personally ... I do my overtaking outside "overtaking" lanes ... especially in busy traffic times. If I cannot pass safely ... I don't.

Yep, me too, best time to overtake is on the next straight bit after a passing lane, when everyone has gone back to sleep



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[FJRider]

... you guys that pass obeying the road rules maybe the reason NZ has so many head ons.?

I'm still alive ... no head-ons yet. And no tickets for speed/dangerous overtaking either ...

[FJRider]

Yep, me too, best time to overtake is on the next straight bit after a passing lane, when everyone has gone back to sleep



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Back to sleep and back to 85-90 km/hr.

[Gremlin]

One thing that does properly hack me off (amongst a few I'm sure), is that when I do drive, my 4 wheel vehicle is the large Hiace. The type of vehicle you have to put overtaking applications in, in triplicate and wait for approval, especially when carrying a load.

Several times I've been lining up an overtake at the start of a passing lane, when I started planning it at the first sign of a sign (say, Passing lane, 2km) and at the 400m sign I've got the gap in front of me, 100m later I'm normally dropping a gear, starting the run and at the start of the extra lane I'm closing on traffic pretty well...

And the numpty in front, as I close on the rear quarter panel, wakes up that there is another lane, starts to move across without checking their mirrors, THEN realises they've almost got a van in their boot, brake, swerve back to their lane...

Meanwhile, as soon as they've started moving in front of me, I've braked, lost all my speed, caused all the traffic behind me to probably brake and now can barely move left because the traffic behind is probably moving quicker... and there is no way I'm passing in that lane again

For the most part an all wheel drive Hiace ZX is actually pretty good at maintaining 100kph on most roads... but hills defeat it

[caseye]

You deserve a medal if you can keep within a 4km speed tolerance without looking at your speedo. Most people can't so I am not alone.

FUCK OFF!
The above messages was too short. I had to add some words before it appeared.
Now. FUCK OFF.
You are back on IGNORE-ant you fool.

[TheDemonLord]

Again ... you know the rules ... there has NEVER been any guarantee in New Zealand legislation that all vehicles in any passing lanes ... at any/all times can overtake all slow vehicles ahead of them. NOBODY ASKS YOU TO PASS ANYBODY. Its the overwhelming idea that nobody can possibly be restricted/slowed/inconvenienced in their travels ... and that seems to be the main cause of the road rage attitudes and mayhem on our roads.


Personally ... I do my overtaking outside "overtaking" lanes ... especially in busy traffic times. If I cannot pass safely ... I don't. Those that lack confidence, ability and skill to do this safely in places other than passing lanes ... should just ride (safely) on quiet roads.

Your neck and your choice. But the rules wont change anytime soon.

I should note that I so agree mostly with what you are saying - however there is the bit in NZ Legislation about not impeding the reasonable flow of traffic.

My biggest issue with this line of reasoning is that our main aerterial routes (SH1, Napier-Taupo etc.) are not fit for the purpose they currently serve - especially with our reliance on Trucking.

Some interesting Data on this:

Where NZ sits in Vehicles per 1,000 people

We are 8th in the world for cars per 1,000 people - yet compared to some of the countries that we are behind: Australia and the US - who both have for their aerterial routes big long straight roads.

Then look at the percentage of trucks per capita (I'm comparing NZ with the UK)

NZ registration data

Number of heavy trucks - 136,807
Pop of NZ: 4,471,000

- this gives us 3% of our registered vehicles are heavy trucks

UK Govt HGV stats - it's an Excel spreadsheet FYI
Number of HGVs - 506,200
Pop of the UK: 64,100,000

- This gives us 0.7% of the UKs registered vehicles are heavy trucks

We have just over 4 times the number of heavy trucks per capita than the UK on roads that are frequently curvy (ooh!), hilly, single lane, limited overtaking opportunities (both in terms of road layout and other traffic), and a percentage of the population who don't like to overtake except on passing lanes (resulting in a line of traffic, where one has to either be an asshole and leap frog or wait for a passing lane long enough)

I should point out that this isn't hating on Truckies - this is more a gripe at TPTB who have a road system that is not designed for how it is being used.

That all said - National have done a reasonable job of upgrading parts of the NZ Highway network to actually function as a highway system.

[swbarnett]

(resulting in a line of traffic, where one has to either be an asshole and leap frog ...)

If a driver doesn't take a reasonable (i.e. safe) passing opportunity then they have no right to be miffed at one that does. Passing slower traffic (safely) does not make one an asshole.

[TheDemonLord]

If a driver doesn't take a reasonable (i.e. safe) passing opportunity then they have no right to be miffed at one that does. Passing slower traffic (safely) does not make one an asshole.

It's the pushing back into the stream of traffic that is a bit assholey.

I should also state I agree with you though.

[swbarnett]

It's the pushing back into the stream of traffic that is a bit assholey.

Ah, now I see what you mean. I was, of course, assuming there would be a gap to be had. Agreed.

[WristTwister]

Meh, none of this surprises me really. I'm mildly amused why so many feel the need to "do the limit plus the prevailing tolerance, minus 1 km/h" as if just doing the limit or flowing with the traffic at 5 km/h under is a chore...

Make it a habit to travel at the limit and it becomes second nature, but that's just not manly enough I suppose...

Experience has shown me that 95% of road users go 10 over the limit. If I rode 5 under in a few minutes I'd be tailgated, a few more to build-up a queue of traffic, then around 30 seconds before the risky overtakes begin.

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Lower tolerances just increase the chances of giving more drivers a fine to scare them into going slower in future. If they dropped tolerances to 0 only then would people treat speed limits as actual "limits". (That sounds contradictory, but what I meant was that drivers assume a tolerance when they decide their speed, if there were no tolerance, drivers would most probably keep below the speed limit - with "limit" being the key word, not "Limit + 5km").

[FJRider]

Yep, me too, best time to overtake is on the next straight bit after a passing lane, when everyone has gone back to sleep



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Sometimes ... if the mood strikes ... I sit in the right lane just behind the line of a big truck trailer unit at 95 km/hr ... then blow past it just as it starts to move to the right at the end of the passing bays ... just because I can ...

Horsepower is a wonderful thing ...