Roadworks speed limits

[GazHyde]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41704392

Some genius at Highways England has figured out the people get frustrated (including raised heart rate) whilst driving through road works at a reduced speed limit. I do hope he gets a pay rise and healthy bonus for that.

As a result we may not be forced to drive through *some* sections at 50, but maybe 60 instead. Not all of them, but some. Personally I think they should be looking at why some motorways have had perpetual road works for years, with no sign of them ever finishing - that's what winds me up.

Surely time to crack open the champagne (not while driving) at the time saving over a 30 mile stretch of roadworks where there is actually no sign of any work being carried out, other than by the speed cameras...

 

[t-tony]

I think they should do what they do in Florida. The speed limit does not alter apart from it is doubled when workers are present. Much more sensible to me.

Tony.

 

[Nodzed]

Some genius at Highways England has figured out the people get frustrated (including raised heart rate) whilst driving through road works at a reduced speed limit. I do hope he gets a pay rise and healthy bonus for that.

I think he is already well over paid and under qualified the rest of the country have know this for years it ain't rocket science

 

[Redline]

One of the motivations is because of lorries not wanting to slow down because of hills ahead. They can become very intimidating in roadworks sections. At 60mph you may actually get fewer vehicles through before traffic starts to slow below 50 mph. The snake effect soon takes over in high traffic flows.

You're right about the frustration of passing roadworks when no work is being done. Equally, playing devil's advocate, the time saving at 60 over 50mph over 30 miles is just 6 minutes. What will you spend the six minutes saved on? Just one journey - it's a minor inconvenience.
When you're doing it every day though, that's a bigger chunk of time over a whole week, month or as it seems now, a year. When they clear one section, it just moves up the road a bit. Repairing our roads has become everyones equivalent of painting the Forth Rail bridge - never ending.

I've been doing the shortish M1 section of roadworks between J23a and Jn25 lots recently - Getting frustrated solves little. If you want frustration, go drive in London.

Much of the urban motorway network has an almost continuous 60 or even 50mph limit anyway. Some sections though are more free flowing for much longer because of the limits. Overall - Simply just too much traffic out there.

 

[andyglym]

Just listened to BBC Radio 2 News on this, agreed that having a faster limit for cars than trucks as for some it can be intimidating. That aside it perplexes me somewhat why I would want to do 50 on a road that has nothing going on where 60 would be a safe speed for the road as said

 

[Redline]

Just listened to BBC Radio 2 News on this, agreed that having a faster limit for cars than trucks as for some it can be intimidating. That aside it perplexes me somewhat why I would want to do 50 on a road that has nothing going on where 60 would be a safe speed for the road as said

The problem is there is no way of changing the limit when change is needed. No working signs because of the roadworks - consequently, because of the numpties out there they have to use the lowest limit to protect us from them. In time I suspect technology would come to help, but, by then, we won't be driving our own cars.

A few weeks ago, I passed an accident where a car had gone through a gap in the concrete barriers they use now and almost made it to the opposite carriageway. At 60mph it would have done.

 

[andyglym]

The problem is there is no way of changing the limit when change is needed. No working signs because of the roadworks - consequently, because of the numpties out there they have to use the lowest limit to protect us from them. In time I suspect technology would come to help, but, by then, we won't be driving our own cars.

A few weeks ago, I passed an accident where a car had gone through a gap in the concrete barriers they use now and almost made it to the opposite carriageway. At 60mph it would have done.

I would have thought for minimal cost electric speed limit signs could just be switched to whatever mph at an appropriate point. As for not driving our own cars, hopefully not in my driving lifetime

 

[Grumps]

I do god knows how many miles through the road works, some stretches I go through are 20 miles long. It is ridiculous. There was talk last year of the government restricting the length down to 5 or 6 miles. That soon went quiet. I hate driving through in the truck with another one over taking me. The mirrors are literally 6 inches apart when they are level with you. Now to me that is much more of an issue than raising the limit by 5 or 10 mph although I do think that it would stop trucks tailgating as we wouldn't be able to keep up.

 

[Dino D]

Remember who this guy works for...he's clever than you think.
Have different speed limits + crap signage = more confused/frustrated drivers. Place camera strategically at changes in speed limits and bingo rake in the cash.

 

[GazHyde]

Pretty much all of what I posted was sarcasm Ian

 

[5harp3y]

Remember that you are not stuck in traffic


You are the traffic

 

[Pingu]

I've been doing the shortish M1 section of roadworks between J23a and Jn25 lots recently - Getting frustrated solves little.

There is a hold-up caused by the slip-road from 23a being too short and traffic on the motorway not making room for joining traffic. The joining traffic then has to slow (sometimes to a stop) and do a standing start into fast flowing traffic.



My journey time from 24 to 26 is less since the roadworks started.

Previously it was common to wait two light changes (occasionally four or five) to get on the motorway. Lights go to green roughly every minute. I would then be in 10-30mph traffic until crossing the River Trent where we would be doing 50mph. Total time from 24 to 26 was 20 minutes.

Now we get straight on the motorway (no lights) and join at around 25mph. The traffic is still doing 50 by the time we cross the Trent, but the overall time has been cut to 17 minutes.

I have a timed collection in Nottingham and I do the journey every weekday. Those 3 minutes make the rest of my tour of Nottingham much less hectic and I'm now at the guy's desk on time, rather than pulling into the street on time.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the speed is increased to 60. I suspect it will go back to the situation we had before of not being able to safely join the motorway, or having to wait for lights.

 

[andyglym]

There is a hold-up caused by the slip-road from 23a being too short and traffic on the motorway not making room for joining traffic. The joining traffic then has to slow (sometimes to a stop) and do a standing start into fast flowing traffic.



My journey time from 24 to 26 is less since the roadworks started.

Previously it was common to wait two light changes (occasionally four or five) to get on the motorway. Lights go to green roughly every minute. I would then be in 10-30mph traffic until crossing the River Trent where we would be doing 50mph. Total time from 24 to 26 was 20 minutes.

Now we get straight on the motorway (no lights) and join at around 25mph. The traffic is still doing 50 by the time we cross the Trent, but the overall time has been cut to 17 minutes.

I have a timed collection in Nottingham and I do the journey every weekday. Those 3 minutes make the rest of my tour of Nottingham much less hectic and I'm now at the guy's desk on time, rather than pulling into the street on time.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the speed is increased to 60. I suspect it will go back to the situation we had before of not being able to safely join the motorway, or having to wait for lights.

I take your point mate and these types of speed limits do allow the traffic to flow better, however, when it's out of core hours and traffic is light there's no reason why the speed can't be increased.

 

[abh29]

A few years ago I worked on the motorway north of Southampton at night. The motorway was reduced to lane 3 only --- only had possession when traffic count permitted. To see the way some of the trucks were weaving around coming down the motorway scared me. The police commented it was the end of the journey and drivers getting weary. I don't know if the temporary barriers will restrain a lorry doing 60 mph downhill.
I do consider reducing the lengths contracts are awarded in will help matters.

 

[Mac Romans]

@GazHyde do the limits enforce by front-facing cameras apply to those who's front plate has (ahem) "fallen off"?

 

[Paul M]

Unfortunately I have heard on the news that the Germans want to introduce av speed restrictions in roadworks. It’s bad enough in UK. Köln has the worst traffic in the world and now that!

 

[GazHyde]

@GazHyde do the limits enforce by front-facing cameras apply to those who's front plate has (ahem) "fallen off"?

If they lifted the speed limit the wind pressure would stop it falling off