Safe Speed Forums

Here is what I would do to make life in the UK better for the majority.

- Provide large amounts of free car parking in town centres. This should revitalise the high street without any other daft initiatives.
- Cancel HS2 and spend the money on more conventional railways that the average person can use rather than only those who live in London and Birmingham.
- Return to setting speed limits based on the 85th percentile and not political expediency. Existing limits should also be revised along these lines.
- Enforce traffic law based on stopping dangerous offenders rather than catching the masses for technical infringements. Yes, I would ignore speeding unless it was gross or dangerous.
- Ditch all the subsidies given to electric cars. If BMW's new iCars are good they will sell on their own merits. Subsidising electric cars basically means that rural taxpayers give money to those who live in big cities and believe they are saving the planet.
- Ensure all road users receive adequate training as to their responsibilities. The places to start are those areas where no regulatory requirements currently exist.
- Build more roads to satisfy the predicted demand when the recession ends. These new roads should have separated cycle provision (I know it won't be used by cyclists but I am not unreasonable).


This is a bit tongue-in-cheek but I am seeking to show what is wrong with a dogmatic and politically driven transport policy.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

No tongue in cheek comment here from me Malcolm.

If you spoke in jest, well, you know what they say about 'many a word'...

Big respect, as ever, from Tony

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Sadly it wont happen yet, but for much of it, I couldn't agree more.
I think there is a mass of over zealous control and it needs to be reduced. Much of Society seems depressed to me, and needs the Gov. to help, that alone would help people's health!

I do think a more balanced approach to new ideas needs to be developed too e.g put in a bus lane ... add a car / bike lane. In the same vain I'd abolish all bus lanes with a few exceptional aread for turning or other (for all HGV/large vehicles) manoeuvring exceptions. As a minimum at the moment I would immediately make all bus lane the SAME time. Too few miss when they are operational and so the lanes are under-utilised as people are too scared about a ticket! If times were the same people would 'know'.
My list goes on ...

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

Yes, pretty much agreed, Malcolm, although maybe we need to accept that traditional town centres have largely been superseded as shopping venues by retail parks and the Internet, and adopt a policy of managed decline.

I had a go at doing something similar a few years ago:

http://www.speedlimit.org.uk/manifesto.html

Two of the new roads I advocated have now actually been built!

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I don't think you could ever provide enough free parking in town centres to satisfy the demand.

What is really needed is a cheaper and convenient way to travel into town centres without using a car.

Currently it costs more for me to travel to my nearest large town by public transport alone than it would cost for fuel and a few hours parking. If 4 of us go then it's completely economically stupid to use public transport.

If you make public transport for 4 people cheaper than the fuel cost, then a few more will start using it. Making it as convenient as using the car would be the next step. Then town centres can start to compete with out of town shopping centres.

The point about extensive free parking is to get large numbers of people back in town. Homer implies a huge pent up demand for this. As PeterE suggests, town centres are changing into leisure/meeting places and this relies on the casual often unplanned visit which pretty much rules out a public transport option especially at less favoured times of day.

PeterE's manifesto dates from 2007. It seems that not much has changed. The politically driven agenda against cars (parking restrictions, planning etc.) are all stronger today. Why? Who is it that hates private cars? Why are they able to hold sway?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Who is against cars ?
Practically every local/national politician, many of who not only have cars but also get them paid for by national/local taxation.
Of course, we should note the activities of those who have a "green" agenda: The green mafia.
Or, as Delingpole is fond of calling them: "watermelons" (green on the outside, red on the inside).
Of course, the lack of sufficient car-parking may have a hand in it. And name me an idiot who considers parking the car and then getting into it at 2 in the morning a good idea....I always hate dark carparks at midnight...and I'm male.
Take a bus ?
After midnight ?
Taxi ?
OK by me...oh...fares double after midnight...so 23 quid to get home... (yes, that is X3 the normal fare...but apparently taxis always multiply by 3 to double...go figure)

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

On the point about town centre parking, this was in the paper today.



These people are daft. Towns won't be saved by 15 minutes on double yellows. In any event, I thought double yellow lines signify places where it is dangerous to park while single yellow indicates just a convenience restriction.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

There are plenty of places where double yellows have been used primarily as a means of rationing the supply of parking rather than where parking would be genuinely obstructive, so maybe what's needed is a review of where they are appropriate. But introducing an element of ambiguity will just end up confusing people.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

But if this new measure DOES end up creating congestion / safety problems, the politicians can become popular by "fixing" the problem they created in the first place. If it doesn't, they become popular with shopkeepers and motorists. Either way it's a win-win!

I agree they have been confusing the original and fair use of double yellows with 'convenience' to prevent parking. Everyone knows double yellow means no parking. SO JUST take away a line (although it will likely then be placed incorrectly so it will all have to come up and be redone) and place a single yellow. This idea of changing a standard with a new rule because it's cheaper is NO WAY to run road safety and it's rules and regulations!
Do it properly. It should have been done properly in the first place.
Over zealous traffic wardens have helped to ruined the town centers too and have a lot to answer for. Keep a bobby on the beat and we wouldn't have needed the vultures !

Personally most shops need to have websites to survive as so much custom has gone bar tourists and some locals ... although this is not the case everywhere obviously.
They need to retain far more single yellows and ONLY apply doubles where necessary.
This is another case of many local overuse of rules and it has come back to haunt them.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.