Speed limit and traffic rules changes

happyhack

happyhack

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 June 2006
Messages
13,347
Location
Herts
Visit site
Plans to cut traffic speed limits

I also heard on Radio 1 this morning that there are plans to impose fines on drivers that get too close to cyclists......what about horse riders!!!!
mad.gif
 
You can set the speed limit to 10mph on all roads but that still won't stop those people who don't think it applies to them or those who drive along country roads like Lewis Hamilton with no consideration of who or what they might meet coming the other way. Rural areas are not race tracks but places where people work and live.

I used to take a pack of beagles out on the country roads in Gloucestershire every morning for exercise and it was frightening how unwilling people were to modify their driving behaviour to take account of the fact that there were animals on the road in front of them, heaven forbid that they might be held up for a minute while we turned off into a gateway.
 
I agree with the 20 outside schools during crossing hours, but prefer how a lot of schools have it round here that it is ONLY during school crossing hours.

Otherwise the police round here would sit there at 9pm when there were no pedestrians about, and revenue raise...

As for the rural roads coming down to 50 - again if its not uniformly doing this but on blackspots, I think yes. We have a bad A road near us, with some pretty sharp bends, there have been a couple of fatalities and many injuries from crashes when people are driving too fast. As the limit is 60 though, no-one can be done for speeding there, though in reality you struggle to keep up to 50 and stay on the road. If the limit was lowered, at least you could stop people driving as fast and have more clout behind to enforce it.
 
But it has to come down to changing driver attitude - I live in the Fens with roads that are bordered by deep main drains. My boss takes the attitude that HE is a good driver, HE knows the roads and therefore doesn't have to stick to the speed limit - unfortunately this is fairly typical of attitudes round here - as a result there are many serious accidents every year and generally at least one person drowns in a dyke following a road traffic accident.

There is currently no proper enforcement of the 50mph along the most notorious of Fen roads, but there are plans to install average speed cameras - I am no fan of speed cameras - but if these slow people down and save lives then I am all for it.
 
I agree with it, but only as long as they are arsed to do some proper research into which roads would benefit from these measures...

Either way there will still be twits who think it doesn't apply. I had to have a snigger (or 6
blush.gif
) this am as there was a police officer with a speed gun just up the road from the stables... the speed limit is 30, but I rarely see anyone do 30, and I saw him pull over 7 !! people in the space of time it took me to turn out horses.

I heard him say "there are no footpaths...young children...people with animals..." so me and Dee gave them a little wave
grin.gif
blush.gif
 
The one from the farm, the bad A road I mentioned above, is popular with young lads racing about on it.

A lad died on it a couple of years on it, took the s bends too fast and hit an oncoming car, he'd only been passed his test a few weeks and they worked out he was doing 50 and lost control.

The problem being 50 was too fast for him, but within the speed limit, and as I say its about as fast as you can manage and stay on the right side of the road. Obviously police or a camera is no use as its well within the limit.

Personally as there are lots of stables along the road, and its used by lots of cyclists though narrow and twisty, I think they should drop the limit and enforce it - make it safer for all. As far as I'm aware no-one but me dares ride along it - and now I've moved yards to the opposite end I don't need to and I'm mightily relieved!

They just need to do this in the right areas and for the right reasons - GENUINE casualty reduction not a sneaky bit of money-making.
 
I actually hope that the 50mph is NOT extended to all B roads. The road from Aberdeen to Forres is a single track 60mph road, and already it takes over an hour and a half to go the 70 miles to forres. People already lose their temper as this is the main road north between Aberdeen and Inverness, and its single carriageway almost 80% of the way. If it goes down to a 50 then those that do stick to limits will of course be met by MORE irate drivers stuck goig slow on a road that doesnt really need them to.
 
This was released this morning by the DFT. Hope it helps by providing more detail.
____________________________________________________

21/04/2009 10:21

Department for Transport (National)

(DFT) Making Britain's roads the safest in the world

Wide-ranging proposals to dramatically cut the number of deaths on the roads were set out by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick today as he also confirmed a major overhaul of the driver training and testing process.

New measures to ensure all roads have the right speed limit and the formation of a new expert panel to investigate road safety are part of ambitious plans to cut road deaths by a third by 2020 and make Britain's roads the safest in the world.

The way people learn to drive and how they are tested is also set for major reform. A new road safety qualification will offer young people a partial credit towards their car theory test while the learning process and the theory and practical tests will all be improved. Van drivers also will be given the chance to enhance the skills they need for their work through a new qualification.

Jim Fitzpatrick said:
"We've already made real improvements to the safety of our roads - there are now almost 17,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year than there were in the mid-1990s. But it is intolerable that eight people are still dying on our roads each day.
"We want to make Britain's roads the safest in the world. That will mean improving vehicles and the road network as well as helping drivers and other road users to be as safe as possible.
"The major changes to the driver training and testing process will create better prepared drivers while our plans for the next 10 years aim to make the roads and vehicles they use safer and so prevent many of the terrible crashes which cut short lives and tear families apart."

The DfT's draft road safety strategy for 2010-2020 - A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World - is published today for consultation. Its proposals include:

* New guidance to ensure all roads have the right speed limit. This will recommend that local authorities:
- Introduce, over time, 20 mph zones or limits into streets around schools and which are primarily residential in nature to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
- Review speed limits on single carriageway rural roads, reducing the limit on the more dangerous roads where this will have a significant impact on casualties.

* The formation of a new independent expert panel to identify issues and trends from fatal accidents and provide an annual report on road safety to Ministers and Parliament.

* New targets to cut road deaths by one-third by 2020, to halve the number of child deaths and serious injuries on the roads and to halve the rate of road death and serious injury to pedestrians and cyclists per kilometre travelled.

Alongside the draft strategy, a programme of measures to reform the driver training and testing process are also published today in response to the Learning to Drive consultation conducted last year. Almost 7,000 people responded to the radical plans and the Driving Standards Agency will now:

* Roll out a new voluntary pre-driver qualification in safe road use for 14-17-year-olds. Successful completion will provide a partial credit for the theory test, allowing learner car drivers to take an abridged test from October this year.

* Introduce case studies into the theory test to better assess whether learners have understood driving or riding theory, also from this October.

* Develop a new vocational qualification for van drivers, helping them to enhance the skills they need to drive for work.

* Improve the practical test by introducing an assessment of a candidate's ability to drive independently without detailed instructions from the examiner, as well as requiring the supervising driver to accompany the candidate during the test to help unsuccessful candidates understand feedback from examiners and help tailor further learning.

* Improve the content of the Pass Plus scheme to maximise both take up and the incentives offered by insurers to drivers who complete the scheme.

* Launch a trial of the new Learning to Drive syllabus, which sets out all the aspects of driving that are needed to be a safe driver.

* Bring forward proposals to modernise driver training including providing learners with more information to help them to choose an instructor.

Later this week, the DfT will launch the first phase of the new THINK! road safety education programme, with resources, activities and materials for early- years and upper- primary children, teachers , parents and Road Safety professionals. The website address will be http://www.dft.gov.uk/think/education.

Notes to Editors:

1. The consultation on A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World starts today and will close on 14th July 2009. The consultation can be found here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/roadsafetyconsultation

2. The proposed long term vision is to have the safest roads in the world, as measured by road deaths per 100,000 population. By this measure Great Britain was second behind the Netherlands in 2007 (from nations with a population of more than 500,000).

3. The proposed targets for casualty and fatality reduction by 2020 (against 2004-08 average baseline) are:
* To reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by 33%;
* To reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions by 33%;
* To reduce the number of children and young people (
* To reduce the combined rate of death or serious injury for pedestrians and cyclists, per 100 million km walked or cycled by 50%

4. These are intended to replace the casualty reduction targets for 2010. These have either been met or are on target to be met.
2010 target against 94-98 baseline Progress (2007 data)
40% reduction in KSIs (Killed or seriously 36% reduction
injured)
50% reduction in child KSI 55% reduction
10% reduction in slight injuries 30% reduction
Reduce total road casualties in most Achieved in 2005
deprived English districts faster than for
England as a whole by 2005

5. The Driving Standards Agency's Learning to Drive Consultation Paper, setting out proposals to reform the way that people learn to drive and are tested, was published on 7 May 2008. The consultation closed on 6 October 2008.

6. Full details are set out in the Learning to Drive: Report on Consultation, which is available on the DSA website.

7. As part of the reforms, students awarded the new pre-driver qualification in safe road use will be offered a partial credit towards the theory test for learner car drivers. This will be made available in the form of an abridged theory test. The DSA has today published a consultation document, An abridged theory test for learner car drivers, seeking views on the proposed reduced fee of £24 for the abridged theory test. The consultation paper is available on the DSA website. The consultation closes on 20 July 2009.
 
I like this bit:
[ QUOTE ]
Roll out a new voluntary pre-driver qualification in safe road use for 14-17-year-olds. Successful completion will provide a partial credit for the theory test, allowing learner car drivers to take an abridged test from October this year.


[/ QUOTE ]

And this bit:
[ QUOTE ]
Develop a new vocational qualification for van drivers, helping them to enhance the skills they need to drive for work.


[/ QUOTE ]

But I am so angry that there has been NO mention of horse riders!!! Are we not vulnerable enough!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top