Safe Speed Forums

Once you divorce the setting of speed limits from safety you end up with political interference which benefits nobody.

Setting limits for social reasons is tosh. You might think 20mph is OK. Your neighbour might think 10mph is right. Who should prevail in this matter of opinion? There are no facts in this case.

At least setting the limit using the 85th percentile rule has some statistical underpinning and suits the vast majority.

If I drive past your house at your preferred limit of 20mph in a diesel van in first gear at 2.00 am would this be OK?

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

wait until people start complaining about the noise from all those cars accelerating/decelerating rather than cruising through.

Have you considered investing in some new tyres? I would have thought that as someone on a road safety forum you would have done.

My tyres (all 4) are new Pirelli P 7000 fitted (tracked and balanced) on 04/11/06 and are at the correct pressures as stated in my car handbook. The car was serviced on 02/12/06 and the tyres amazingly enough where found to have more than the legal limit. I do find it strange that on the next junction, which is not raised(an it is a normal road surface), where I have to turn again I do not encounter the same problem, and I am doing a similar speed.


edited to add
Look what I found.
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10158

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

The raised junction at the end of my road is constructed using what appears to be a polished brick and whilst I have never slid on it I have noticed that my wheels will spin when wet at speeds that do not register on the speedo even with new rubber. It's a mistake to think that all grip issues can be solved with new tyres when the surface can take away any benfit of such.

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It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.

Upton Sinclair

They don't do that. Anyway it's much less than the noise of cars coming though at about 35 - 40. (Blue Peter method). The theory is that cars will be displaced back on to the main roads anyway - so that they can get their precious few seconds back.

I've noticed that some younger drivers around here have this problem on flat dry roads. They seem to skid and wheelspin for what seems like 3 - 6 seconds when they pull away.

Perhaps they should invest in a car with Anti slip reduction, this will make pulling away at speed easier. Yes I can see a: 20: limit stopping this problem

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Mmmm. Say no more.

Russel (is it Eden? Someone of that name was active with the ABD and often wrote to the Stourbridge papers).

Have you considered that by creating a chicane system using parked vehicles you might create gridlock situations? A few too many vehicles coming each way and everything stops?

I would also note that not all Stourbridge changes are helping much, for example the new traffic lights and islands (not active yet) on the A491 to Wolves quite regularly backs up traffic to the new lights on the ring road, just because vehicles can no longer get into the right filter lane by the football ground any more. Having walked down as a pedestrian along that route, the new double island pedestrian crossings have railings so tight that getting a mountain bike, wide pushchair or invalid carriage between the poles and railings is very difficult. In fact the only change that I think has been positive in the entire area is the removal of the chicanes on the route down to Amblecote Sainsburys although unfortunately they replaced them with speed cushions. At least those are better than the Love Lane monster speed bumps though.

No that effect is from something else, I was talking about the effect of a polished, angled, surface and the lack of grip this can instill even in a heavy a car at very slow speed with new tyres.

What you are descibing here (by the sounds of it) is a lack of grip caused by excessive power to the driven wheels. You need to understand the difference as both can be very dangerous but the solution to each is very different.

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It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.

Upton Sinclair

Hummm say no more.

do you only read what you want to read.

I can accelerate fairly quickly; I do not wheel spin, even in the wet. Interpret how you want. I am not about to go wizzing round a housing estate. I am no boy racer

But note you did not high light this



or this



Instead you chose to pick on the tyres- but found you could not.




so you try to pick on my driving style. lovley.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

The opposite is the case. Gridlock can happen now anyway at peak times. Most cars tend to park on one side, and drivers not planning properly force their way though. The result is two way traffic - but one way drives along the pavement - and this is not good when children are walking to the school, or at any other time. I regularly make a point of standing on the pavement to stop this. With the stagger in place cars have to keep to the road. A much better place for them.



I agree with a lot of that. The lights by the football club should be removed.

Which of these statements is true?

Not what I would expect to read on a road safety forum, that's why. Reads a bit immature to me. Aggression on the roads is a bad thing. Don't get it confused with progression.

if you don't know the difference between wheel spin and understeer then I think you better go back to driving school.

[At this point a discussion into skid control technique developed, which has been split to a new thread. See: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11544 ]

Good god. You're grasping at straws now Ru88ell. Also, the irony in ree.t's post is plain for anybody to see, you just have to look.

Anyway, I guess it's someone elses turn from C+. I'll hand over.

Cheers!

Rewolf. Why not give me a shout when you're in town?

fair enough Ru88ell everything you say is quite correct and reasonable .
The point is you are attcking me and not defending the 20mph limit that well and yet you still chose to ignore these comments.



You are making too many assumptions about me and my driving style.

_________________
Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

But it's a dual carriageway primary route in to a major city FFS Ru88ell!

By that rationale I assume you think ALL roads should be 30mph.

Do you?