Safe Speed Forums

Absolutely.............ifanything it will spur them on to prove something to whom it is they feel they need to prove.

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belladonna
'Wisdom is knowing how little we know'
Socrates

Andy, I deal with those 'idiots' all the time through my work. They are on a totally different frequency to you and I and I can assure you that a legistation through parliment, and a metal sign telling them to reduce their speed to 20, 30 mph, would not work. Living in a Orwellian society having cars fitted with computers, radar, etc is not going to help either. Do you really think that your 'idiots' would own cars like that?
I am not condoning what they do and certainly not saying we should not find a solution of some kind. But I do not believe this is the one.

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belladonna
'Wisdom is knowing how little we know'
Socrates

Although I can see your point of view and in many ways agree, you are being a little hard on Andy.
Hes had a bad experience - been there, got the T-shirt - and when your in that space being rational isn't always the first port of call.

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belladonna
'Wisdom is knowing how little we know'
Socrates

Since when can it ever be 'Right' that the public in general sets the rules and guidelines to solve National problems.
The excess and emotive run that this Government has had on 'speed kills' has, as one might expect, is misguiding some of the public to assume that if everything is brought down to a specific numeric value, then by some 'magic' it will then make it safe !
But this could not be further from the truth.
So when you assume that a blanket specific speed limit will mean that all the problems for that type of road might then be resolved, is sadly very far removed from the safer environment that you wish to create.

Rules need to be made by those that listen to proper (politically un-biased) research, and to experts that give good advice and opinions, and also to engineers, in other words good scientific (as solid as possible) conclusions that lead to better overall environments. We had this in this Country 16yrs ago when we had the safest roads in the World, now after years of cameras and speed kills policy we are number 6. all the Stats and the research tell the Gov what it does not like to hear so they ignore it and carry on doing it 'their way', which is shameful.

Trying to 'control' drivers will never work, as you are not likely to end up 'targeting' the 'real world problem'. Each new rule and regulation has a side effect that will alter driver behaviours and the 'driving culture'.

The psychology of driving is involved and complicated, as different age groups and different attitudes will result in many different and potentially new problems, that may not have even been thought of, but can have far reaching and potentially disastrous consequences.

In the 'real world' we have to work with the real driver behaviours, not the way people 'should' drive, but the way that people 'Do' drive, this is what matters. Once that is fully understood then help can be delivered and drivers are encouraged to improve and road safety 'works'.
A good driver is our very best road safety asset.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

....anyway, how would you set the speed limit? Would it be the fastest you could navigate the trickiest piece of the road? You could have a straight open piece of road with a hair pin at the end, do you set the limit for the hair pin or the straight part?

Would you agree that that also applies to matters such as road charging and that the referendum on the congestion charge in Manchester was a mistake? That the decision should have been made by experts rather than the general populace?

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

No, no. You dont' get it Adam. The answer is 40mph. The type of road and the actual safe speed are irrelevant.

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

I would set the speed for a hair pin by getting the Stig from BBC Top Gear to take it in a Porsche 911, then may Dad in his Lada Cosak and take an average.

Whose experts? The coconut shell is a childs skull expert? The MMR gives you autism expert? The I identified a mother guilty of infanticide on the TV expert? The experts that identified the Satan worshiping child abusing parents. The experts that helped to the gaoling of the Birmingham six?

Okay so these are extreme cases but in todays climate (no pun intended) who do we trust? And just what sort of expert could give us a definative on congestion charging? And an expert in what exactly?

Oh yes and 'he who pays the piper calls the tune', and that can go for the voters in the congestion charge area or who ever commissioned the expert.

Barkstar

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The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence has limits.

There are NO experts, just highly paid idiots PRETENDING to be experts.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

The US Airways pilot who made a dead-stick landing in the Hudson River this morning with no loss of life - he's just a highly paid idiot?

The BMRT volunteer who abseiled 300ft down Chee Tor to rescue an injured climber - he's just a highly paid idiot?

The surgeon who operated for four hours to save my life - just an highly paid idiot?

Talk sense man

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Sorry whaley, I forgot about you.... In "real life" there are many experts as you point out, they are people with practical skills who use them in everyday life as you pointed out but the "desk bound" experts who "talk" for a living often know nothing about real life.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Perhaps we should use the phrase "so-called experts" or "self-appointed experts"

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Walley wrote:
”The BMRT volunteer who abseiled 300ft down Chee Tor to rescue an injured climber - he's just a highly paid idiot?”



Just checked OS map and Chee Tor’s highest point is 293m asl, and its climbing face only 255m, but the River Wye at the bottom is 183m, therefore the climbing face is 74m, that’s 242 feet!!!

I also didn’t think BMRT volunteers were paid?

If it were me, I’d have driven to the car park opposite Topley Pike Quarry (paid and displayed), walked down the disused railway which is now a walking/cycling trail. Crossed over the foot bridge before the tunnel, followed the path to the foot of the climbing face and attended the injured climber on the floor in about 10mins.

Sorry - speaking from memory whicg does tend to exagerate



Precisesley the point I was making - not all experts are highly paid idiots.



... who was dangling on a rope below the overhang some 30 feet or so above your head

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Well just cut the rope - didn't do Joe Simpson any harm did it?

Talking of "self-appointed experts", Shropshire County Council has announced an ongoing review of speed limits in 122 villages in the county.

The council's head of highways has gone on record, stating that the reviews have been in conjunction with local parish councils.

I'm reminded of one of Paul's statements. Along the lines of (apologies if I don't get the wording exactly correct), "requesting advice on road safety from a local resident is like asking your next door neighbour for advice on the best form of cancer treatment".

Link to story:

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/02/20/move-to-cut-village-speed-limits

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Simon

This has all been done already in Hampshire/New Forest.

The result? 30mph limits everywhere but no resources for enforcement in rural areas with minimal traffic throughput. Thus everyone carries on as before. The "everyone" in this case is the local populace who "speed" through every village but their own.

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

I see the original petition is now well over a dozen signatures! (well 14)!