Hi all

Just jumping on my soapbox a little. We have recently had a couple of relatively serious accidents on a road near by my house, and as per usual, a number of the "Concerned" local residents are calling for the speed limit to be dropped to 40mph. This drives me nuts! For a number of reasons not least because it is part of this idiotic nanny-stateism, and also I find leads to people completely disregarding this idiotic limit, and then the more important 30 zone that they then cut through full tilt!

In an attempt to head off the nimbys at the pass, I have sent the following letter to the council in the hope that there is at least on letter in the "Dont put another speed limit on our roads" pile!

Letter is below. Tell me if you think I have gone mad, or if you agree with me!

Dear Sir/ Madam

In the first instance, I hope that this is the correct address for this correspondence. If not, then please accept my apologies, and I would be grateful if you could confirm so in order that I may redirect it appropriately.

I am a resident of Starcross, and I have been for almost all of my life, having lived here to date for 30 years. Working in Exeter, I need to make regular use of the A379 road, as detailed above. As you are no doubt aware, parts of the road have been already been subjected to reduced speed limits, particularly between Kenton and Starcross, and also between Starcross and Dawlish.

Whilst I accept that I am not an expert on such matters, based on my own observations, I would suggest that this has not helped at all. There is a culture of introducing too many speed restrictions where they are not warranted, and as a result, this has led to widespread disregard of these newly imposed speed limits as well as the much more important 30mph zones to the villages, which is of significantly greater concern.

I am aware that there has recently been two serious incidents on the road, but I am fearful that this will lead to the rushed and ill thought out additional speed restrictions that will simply have no effect. It is my understanding that the majority of accidents are caused by carelessness, and not by speed. By simply reducing the speed restrictions on major routes to 40mph, this will simply lead to greatly increased frustration by regular and competent road users such as myself, and will in my opinion prevent any improvement in the number of accidents on this road. I would further suggest that notwithstanding these recent incidents, the number of major accidents on this road that are directly caused by speed are very low.

To sum up, I am hopeful that you will use your good judgement to ensure that common sense prevails, and that the vocal few are not allowed to bully the Council into arbitrarily reducing the speed limit on this road. Please allow people to understand the importance of speed limits, and please do not dilute them by placing them on any stretch of road that is available.

I am grateful for your time on this matter.

Yours Sincerely


James Jacobs

 

Waste of piss IMHO

 

Do you think | should add that as an option? ROFOL

JJ

 

No point mate. It's like trying to tell old people the world of today is better than the 1950's

 

Surely with the new road tax prices and the amount of speed cameras that keep popping up, you'd a thought they could afford to put more traffic police on the roads, but of course thats never going to happen.. All the goverment is doing is just pissing off everyone who use's the roads... Its about time someone gives Brown a slap round the face, so he wakes up and listens to what people are shouting to him !!

 

i agree with you james and chose the first option. better training and policing is the answer, but costs more money

 

What was the cause of the 2 accidents that you wrote about??
Weather or careless driving or a mixture?

I know my driving instructor always told me that in the rain slow down and keep a better gap behind people, also the speed limit is a recommendation not a target.

Maybe better training or road design is the answer??

 

According to the Police's own statistics less than 5% of all injury accidents are caused by people who have exceeded the posted speed limit. Therefore 95% of all injury accidents are not affected by a speed limit. Bad driving causes the vast majority of accidents. Poor driving skills and inattention are the two major factors, and the latter is adversely affected by having even more signs/speed cameras taking their attention away from the road.

The whole 'speeding' issue has taken the attention away from the REAL cause of accidents, and it's an utter sham that the Government have decided to opt for raising cash rather than saving lives.

 

it was some bloke in a porsche overtaking slower motorists and causing oncoming traffic to crash into the hedge to avoid him

 

On form as always, Trev!

The first was a cyclist killed by an old duffer in an MGF (in the rain)

The second was a motorcylist taking a liberty with an overtake straight into the path of a car. Happily the second incident led to only minor injuries.

I think the main point of my letter to the council is that we "the people" rarely bother to write to them to explain our point of view. As such, they can be almost forgiven for thinking that everybody agrees with their idiotic policy on speed restrictions!

JJ

 

 

Nice to see someone doing something and not just moaning! Good on you mate.

 

I personally think everyone should take thier bike licence by law. When their on the road and see what other road users do to bikes it would change thier minds on the way they drive!! (Well it did me) or everyone should do the advance driving course and not be allowed on the road till they pass. Would make so many people better drivers (And hopefully safer)!

Fair play to you mate, but the majority with win and the Government will use it to put up a speed camera and make more cash.

 

That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out letter

But it won't matter shit cos they'll completely ignore it and do whatever they want

 

Sadly probably true, but good on you J for trying, well written letter IMO.
Sitting back and doing nothing apart from moan and assume that it won't make any difference is a guaranteed way to ensure that they get their way.

 

ok thats an excellent idea, my mate thats got one leg would definatly pass his bike test.

 

Its called a suggestion mate!!! with MY personal views! If I wanted to go into specifics and design the full details on how every driver could become better on the road I would be in Parliment, which would include any disabled drivers, BUT Im not in Parliment and put what I "thought" down in reply to this thread. Sorry for not considering your mate in my thoughts

 

Some interesting ideas - I agree that most could do with significant improvement in bike awareness.

I think that you are all right that the letter will be in vain, but you gotta try!

JJ

 

They did the same here. 30mph zone, going into NSL single carriageway on a STRAIGHT section of road, back into a 30mph zone. Thing is the STRAIGHT section of road had a crap road surface and was very bouncy and was awful to drive and 2accidents occured over about 5 years.

What did they do? RESURFACED the road so it was all smooth and was a pleasure to drive on...then dropped it to a 40mph limit. And since that limit has been imposed there has STILL been 2 more accidents WITHIN 18 MONTHS, one of which a Citroen Xsara came off the road and crashed into a toilet block. Can't tell me that the speed limit reduction has helped eh?

Edit: And just to add, straight section of road where you can see EVERYTHING ahead, yes people just belt past those doing 40mph at WAY above 60!

 

windmill lane, in southall, has a 30 mph speed limit (for some reason, overnight EVERY road in southall with the postcode of UB1 or UB2 turned into a 30 mph or less limit, even the dual carriageways, theonly place that escaped was around 100 yards of the hayes by pass leading towards the M4 junction 3)

then, for all of about 5 yards, it's got a 40 mph limit going out of southall towards isleworth, then it goes under the M4 and it's a nsl road

but coming back towards southall, there is no 40 mph sign post, only a 30 mph one

how does that make sense?

one side of the road is 40 mph, the other side of the road is 30 mph, and it's a single carriageway B road

 

Getting to 30mph within Southall is a target not a limit

bloody place is solid traffic wise no matter what, hate the place... never ever seen such a general poor standard of driving and observation of road traffic laws in my life as in that place

 

yellow box junctions all over the place
too many buses (i counted 17!!!!!!!!! the other week all coming into southall from hanwell, that's one fuck of a lot of traffic just there!!!!)
too many peole parking up on the sides of the street
too many stall holders setting up in the pavement forcing the pedestrians to walk further out
too many old people crossing the road and expecting the traffic to stop for them and then going flying when it doesn't
too much agro from everyone
the list goes on and on and every time you venture into the place it's like going into a gladitorial arena

 

Councils and MPs need to get more letters like that, good work.

 

Typical knee jerk reaction by anti speeders.

Old boy up my mums road complained after a crash outside his house. He was jumping up and down about the excess speed and that "we must have a camera before somebody is killed"

Unfortunately for him my brother was outside and saw the crash (made statement to police as well) and it was in fact caused by his daughter turning straight across the path of an oncoming car who didn't even have a chance to brake before impact.

Oddly he didn't respond to my reply letter that was printed the week after pointing this out.

And on another note the council won't care as it's a good excuse for them to spend their budget in that area. I work in local authority and was shocked to discover that my brothers accident is down on the official stats as being a speed related collision even though it was caused by a driver failing to stop at the T junction. If the safety lot can dump the blame on speed they will as it justifies their own existance. It's all politics and it absolutely sucks!

 

I have to agree with this, I think in days gone by where the roads were quiet it was fine, but its not suitable for todays levels of traffic and size of vehicles, really annoys me. Also the parking within 2 car lengths of the end of a street that should be upped to 4 car lengths min imho.

JAmes

 

it was speed related, the guy was going to fast to be able to stop in time, so that justifies a speed camera
and do you know what else?
road deaths are all collated by peole who die on the road, NOT by peole who die as a reslut of a car crash
so someone who commits suicide off of a bridge is officially a road death, same with someone who has a heart attack in the street so there are a lot of figures that don't actually relate to actual peole being injured in cars by people being silly

double yellow lines on the corners for at least 20 metres
and it's actualy illegal from what i've read to park within 10 metres of a turning in any case

 

why have they put traffic lights in the middle of the road then