Safe Speed Forums

So I'm driving on the M42 from the M40 junction to the M6 junction last Thursday. This section is very busy, so they have put up variable speed limits; I think someone's worked out that this improves traffic flow, but clearly the controllers have different priorities..

Quite literally, EVERY other speed limit sign was 40mph.. then 50.. then 40.. then 50. then 40 along the entire stretch. All camera enforced, of course. I'm sure that they were trying to catch people out to get a bit of cash.

Interestingly, hardly anyone was using the hard shoulder despite the congestion and the sighns saying that it was available. Not surprising, it's a cheapskate idea to have it in the first place.

I hate that stretch of road.

Have you noticed it is almost always clear at either side of the speed restriction bit?
And the road surface is still poor.

The hard shoulder not used that much.
When it is “free flowing” and speed restriction are in place

I find it difficult to find the correct lane to be in as I find I am in the position of ether overtaking very slowly, or trying to avoid being undertaken very slowly, or undertaking very slowly. As everyone is driving to the set limit as indicated by their Speedo.

I find stressful, as you are checking to make sure the limit has not changed, and that you are within the limit, and for the traffic.

When I dive on to the M42 south from Tamworth, and I am bouncing up and down on the shite road surface I can’t help thinking the money could have been better spent.

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

I hate it too!

I can understand the theory behind the variable limits, and the fact that the road is clear before and after could well be testament to it's effectiveness at preventing 'shockwaves'; jams where traffic joins the back of a slower moving section (lorries having an 'elephant race' anyone?) at a greater rate than it is released from the front, slowing subsequent traffic until it is at a standstill, effectively forming a 'plug' in the road, for as long as traffic joins the rear faster than it leaves the front.

That said, the limits often seem very low given the traffic volumes, particularly with the hard shoulder available. I do sometimes wonder, however, if even 40mph is safe with the hard shoulder in use; if a broken down vehicle is stopped there, someone could get taken by surprise! I can't remember the last time I travelled that stretch and there wasn't a variable limit in force, at all hours!

I'm going to have to have a dig, but I'm sure I remember seeing somewhere, some time ago, that violating variable motorway speed limits is not an endorseable offence, other than 'semi-permanent' ones in roadworks, if you see the distinction.

Not surprised that you're bouncing up and down on the shite road surface Couldn't resist, sorry

I, also, am anti-variable speed limits on motorways. I find that traffic self-regulates depending on the amount of traffic that is flowing and its speed. The M25 variable speed limits are a nightmare. It is often the case that traffic is light and free-flowing (such as it is now what with the school holidays) yet the limits are set to or thus causing bunching around the gantries as cars brake.

Typically in these situations you will find lorries in lane 3 and all the cars in lane 4 while lanes 1 and 2 remain clear apart from the odd lorry or caravan. In these situation I agree with Clarkson when he said something along the lines of "If I can undertake them at legal speeds then they should be fined for lane-hogging, not me."



I would be interested to hear the result of your search on that subject Robin.

BTW I remember Clarkson saying that there were 2 thresholds for variable speed limits on the M25 depending on whether the information boards had nothing on them or "Congestion/Queue ahead". Despite searching I cannot find any information to corroborate his statement. Anyone able to shed any light?

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Prepare to be Judged

I drove along there last Thursday, mid-afternoon, from Bournville to Tamworth. Pretty much the entire ATM section was a mandatory 50mph limit - despite that fact that for 90% of the time the outside lane was totally clear!!

There has to be some official channel to complain about this un-necessary and potentially dangerous enforcement of an inapppropiate limt

mb

They spent £100 Million and 2 years or so doing that.

As far as I can see most of the money must have been spent on the "control" systems and the 129 speed cameras...

All on the grounds that to do it properly ie another lane would have cost £500 Million.

Absolutely no better than before and I'm convinced it's a lot more dangerous now.

Fair enough they tried something new - I just wish they had the guts to admit it doesn't work and do it properly, but of course the DfT is never wrong are they....

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Wake me up when the revolution starts
STOP the Toll Tax http://www.traveltax.org.uk

Are Gatsos/whatever camera system they are using Home Office approved for multi-lane ops? (hint: Gatsos aren't)

I had to use this infernal stretch of M-Way recently when taking the car for a service (Nuneaton to Kidderminster), and it was a f***ing nightmare.

Constantly looking at overhead gantries for the current speed limit, whilst trying to keep an eye on bunching traffic ahead, at the same time trying to maintain decent roadspace between me and other road users. Would it be churlish of me to suggest that the last two tasks were made more difficult by the variable speed limits????

Simon

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Simon

I agree. I also do not think that opening the hard shoulder is good. All we have had drummed into us for goodness knows how long is "YOU CANNOT DRIVE ON THE HARD SHOULDER". Now they want us to because it's too expensive to widen the road......?

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

There is one per lane.

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

I was under the impression that this still violated their type approval, due to the potential for their emmissions to interfere/register vehicles out of their lane.

I am unsure about type approval. I just wanted to tell you how the things are set up.you may not have been lucky enough to travel on this wonderfull piece of road.

http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/p ... .html#m424

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

IIRC, there mustn't be two vehicles within the measurement zone otherwise the reading must be deemed invalid. How the 'zone' is defined I don't know, could it be simply the area covered by the 'dragons teeth'?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

I experienced these last December the fourth year in a row that I helped out a friend with his stall at an exhibition at the NEC.

The first 3 times this section was a nightmare, we were often stationary and it took on each occasion ages to get to the NEC. Last year with the 4th lane and the variable speed limits we did not stop once, traffic was free flowing all the way.

We both remarked how at odds this was with previous years, obviously traffic numbers "appeared" reduced because we were not sat in a virtual car park for ages and our total journey time was reduced by about 40 mins. On all occasions we get to this area at about 4pm on a Friday.

I shall compare it again this year but in my experience (which is limited I know) it appears to be a vast improvement.

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

Upton Sinclair

I don't mind the whole reduced-speed-limit thing in this case, it was just the way it changed every few hundred yards.

Yes that's fair enough, on our journey it was nearly all 50, with just the odd 40

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

Upton Sinclair

Slightly off-topic but, by coincidence, I was also manning a show stand at the NEC the first weekend of December and was surprised how smooth our journey to and from the Hotel was each day using the M42.

The main benefit of variable speed limits is to slow traffic down in advance of junctions, because under normal motorway conditions when you get heavy traffic at 70-80mph suddenly coming up against a convoy of vehicles joining from a slip road at 40 mph, everyone brakes and the traffic flow breaks down completely.

If the main carriageway is kept at 40 mph then the merging traffic doesn't cause everyone to panic and a queue to result.

When managed properly it works well, but changing the limit on every other gantry is ridiculous.

I drive this stretch regularly it's bl00dy terrible.

My friend who hops on and off the m42 reckons it has helped but all I can say is that my experience over the last 3 years or so is that it has got worse and worse.

The variable speed thing is a scam. They often chuck the odd 40 in the middle of some 50's just to see if you're awake!