Safe Speed Forums

Following on from the Speed limit question thread, I thought I would do a set of these. They're all dual carriageways somewhere in the North of England. Not all of them have what I would consider to be underposted limits, and at least one is actually

The pictures are on this web page, and the relevant poll is here.

Again I am asking for perceptions of what the speed limit should be.

Here are a couple of pictures as tasters:





There is a rather dramatic difference between the speed limits on these two, even though on the face of it they look fairly similar.

_________________
"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

Any last calls for this?

I'll close it and put the results up tomorrow.

The pictures are on this web page, and the relevant poll is here.

One respondent has answered "20 mph" for everything (name might possibly start with a "w" )

On the other hand, someone has answered "70 mph" for 7 and 10, which is stretching it a bit, but not for 5 which is perhaps an equally unlikely 70.

_________________
"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

'ang on horse! I've only just seen it

I hope we can analyse after...

_________________
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.

OK, this survey has now closed. Thanks to all the 31 people (not all from here) who answered the questions. I've left in the responses of the one person who answered 20 mph to everything. There wasn't an equivalent who answered 70 mph to everything, although in one or two cases 70 mph was chosen for rather unlikely-looking roads. The results are as shown in the table below. It's interesting that the three roads with the highest proportion of people answering 70 mph are two 50s and a 40; the two genuine NSLs attracted a lower proportion.



The specific locations are as follows:

1. B6393 Lightbowne Road, North Manchester. This was a 40 until Manchester reduced a lot of speed limits in the area, including on the A6104, to coincide with the completion of the M60. Given the total lack of property frontages I see no reason why it still shouldn't be 40. I have a vague memory that this stretch may even have been NSL in the days when the bottom end of the nearby A663 Broadway was, but I could be mistaken.
   
   
2. A523 Silk Road Macclesfield. This has always been NSL since it opened about twenty years ago. While there are adjacent industrial buildings, there is no direct access to the road.
   
   
3. A34 Handforth Bypass. Opened in the mid-90s as NSL, but was cut to 50 a few years later. On the face of it, this is scarcely different from the previous one. Before a Monitron was installed about half a mile to the north, a lot of traffic used to do 65-70 along here.
   
   
4. A629 Elland bypass. Originally NSL, later reduced to 50 with a battery of Gatsos. Possibly the curvature further down makes it unsuited for 70, but certainly 60 would be entirely appropriate here.
   
   
5. A641 Odsal, Bradford. Recently reduced from 40 to 30 by Bradford MBC. That is a GSJ you can see in the distance - how many full-blown GSJs have a speed limit of 30 on the main line?
   
   
6. A57 Sankey Way, Warrington. Originally NSL, but reduced to 40 many years ago, apparently against the objections of the police. Since opening it has gained a new signalised junction and become more hemmed in by buildings, but there are still no direct property frontages.
   
   
7. A664 Rochdale Road, Manchester. Never to my knowledge had a limit above 30, but a substantial stretch is a wide road with good sightlines that is consistent with many 40s in other areas of the country. The same is true of the nearby Alan Turing Way.
   
   
8. A557 Widnes. While it runs through a industrial area, none of the premises have direct access to the road and nor does it cross any pedestrian desire lines. It has always been 40 since it opened at some time in the 1990s. As it is only half a mile sandwiched between two more reasonable 40s, maybe 70 would be too high, but 50 would better reflect real-world speeds.
   
   
9. A556 Northwich Bypass. The only deliberately misleading picture in the set. The curvature and proximity of development at this point may suggest a limit below 70, but it is untypical of the rest of the road and the houses are well set back behind a barrier.
   
   
10. B5180 Mather Avenue, Liverpool. A fairly typical suburban boulevard, which has probably been a 40 since the early days of 40 limits.

_________________
"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