A lawyers argument to raise the speed limit to 136kph in the UK

[YellowDog]

Some interesting points here re "Appropriate Speed Limits" :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12773838

[jaffaonajappa]

Love it at the 1min 40sec stage...he really is a lawyer. Wouldnt defend his own daughter......assume he couldnt charge her and expect payment?

[Urano]

in italy the speed limit on highways is 80 mph. (wait a minute: you in nz have kmh, isn't it? so... 130 kmh)
i think it's a pretty good limit.
the arguments of this guy are stupid, but beside that 110 is a little too low.
we had a period, back a twentieth of years ago, with speed limit at 110, but it hadn't worked so well...

after all i normally drive at 110-120 kmh to safe fuel, but it's good to know that you have a little buffer if you are in a hurry.
and consider that because of our speed fines regulations you can truly go at 140 without getting fines...
130 is the highway limit in most of european countries

(as for nz, i think it's way bad you don't have a structured highway system, and waaaaaaay worst you don't have a highspeed railway system, but i understand those are expensive stuff and you are few.... )

[jaffaonajappa]

130 is the highway limit in most of european countries

(as for nz, i think it's way bad you don't have a structured highway system, and waaaaaaay worst you don't have a highspeed railway system, but i understand those are expensive stuff and you are few.... )

Mate, we are still getting used to having Roads and not needing horse stables...

[scumdog]

Mate, we are still getting used to having Roads and not needing horse stables...

Ah yes roads - those long black winding things you see on postcard pictures of New Zealand...

[Mort]

It would be safe to drive at 80mph (128kph) on most UK and european motorways because they are built safer. You dont see cheesecutter wire down the central reservation you get armco and concrete. You dont see Lamposts at the side of the motorway un protected by armco. Other off road hazards are also protected.They have much higher standards for protection and, I would argue, better drivers who know what the fuck three lanes are for and actually use the inside lanes when they are not overtaking. Motorways and motorway drivers in NZ are pretty poor by comparison.

[scumdog]

It would be safe to drive at 80mph (128ph) on UK and european motorways because they are built safer. You dont see cheesecutter wire down the central reservation you get armco and concrete. You dont see Lamposts at the side of the motorway un protected by armco. Other off road hazards are also protected.They have much higher standards for protection and, I would argue, better drivers who know what the fuck three lanes are for and actually use the inside lanes when they are not overtaking.

Stop being to pragmatic and factual - it'll shatter the little dreams of so many ranters on here...

[Urano]

Mate, we are still getting used to having Roads and not needing horse stables...

You dont see cheesecutter wire down the central reservation you get armco and concrete.

ya, cheesecutter are horrible, truly.
i've seen that in the saudi arabian desert roads, but there are other considerations and i still can't believe you use that type of barrier...
But the typical metallic guardrail you'll find on european roads are little better, as we are trying our best to have them changed with something that doesn't cut our head or limbs...

They have much higher standards for protection and, I would argue, better drivers who know what the fuck three lanes are for and actually use the inside lanes when they are not overtaking. Motorways and motorway drivers in NZ are pretty poor by comparison.

oh, you poor deluded....
we have a 5 (five!) lane highway sector near to modena: do you think it's sufficient? you can even set your bbq on the first 3 and nobody would ever bother you...
look it this way: we are 65 millions people, and roughly i can tell you there are 64 millions licensed idiots free to mess around on the roads; you are 4-5 millions, and even if the average is the same, you have ONLY 3 millions idiots on the road.
you are way luckier...

[cheshirecat]

Dreams are great. One of the biggest wake up calls here was realising that a road designated say state highway 1, wasn't fit for the max limit throughout it's length. Like wise unlike Euro, roads are not catagorised. ie motorway, A roads, B roads etc. An A road having priority over a B road and so forth. Effectively over here a supermarket entrance carries (when turning) a right of way over a main highway. I can't tell you how inconceivable this is to a Euro's POV. Another example (and there are many) the route from Well to upper Hutt. Damp badly lite narrow two way tunnel, two lane, three lane, narrow two lane, right hand narrow, blind, downward corner under overpass, widish two lane, and so on. Until this is sorted I don't give much of a hope of change - sadly. Oh a good point but could be my imagination, I've noticed over recent months drivers on average seem much better. Fewer wayward efforts and plenty making way for a bike ( I give them a wave for thanks). Rant over, back to dreams.

[Urano]

Effectively over here a supermarket entrance carries (when turning) a right of way over a main highway. I can't tell you how inconceivable this is to a Euro's POV.

ya. this is truly inconvenient. and possibly dangerous.
i can understand that larger projects are expensive and maybe not always affordable or worth, but those little issues could be addressed with not a big effort...
could you possibly do something as organization or citizen group to highlight the nice-to-do stuff and suggest solutions?

(we have a lot of organizations like that, but our main problem is that we are stupid and politically represented by stupids, very well represented tough...)

[jaffaonajappa]

Ah yes roads - those long black winding things you see on postcard pictures of New Zealand...

Yeah, used to think our roads were like goat tracks, and the USA was chocka block full of awesome expensive and well maintained roads.
Seems I was wrong....Kiwi roads arent as bad as they were once. And check out this USA road......bike crashed...road surface close-ups from 1.20 to about 2.00.



A very odd biker girl.....not sure how to describer her. Eccentric, having seen a coupla vids. But who cares, rides a bike, crashed it, and then replaced it and learnt to get her knee down. Kudos

[MSTRS:Me]

could you possibly do something as organization or citizen group to highlight the nice-to-do stuff and suggest solutions?

(we have a lot of organizations like that, but our main problem is that we are stupid and politically represented by stupids, very well represented though...)

You are talking about Italy? Right? Because for a moment there, I thought your post was about NZ...