Safe Speed Forums

There's a right hand bend on the M60 motorway (clockwise) near the Bredbury turn off that used to be recommended limit 50mph, but now has a speed limit sign 50mph, and camera warning signs..

I've taken this corner in many vehicles from arctic's, coaches, cars and motorcycles in most conditions and feel that it's safe above 50mph and that when people see a vehicle stopped on the bridge above this part of the motorway, they panic and brake very hard..

Surely braking from 60-70mph on a sharp right bend is more dangerous than doing 60-70mph on such bend.

At the risk of incriminating, it's been tested (stupid o'clock, support vehicles etc) at 115mph on a motorcycle with no sense of excess danger so it's certainly not extremely sharp...

Then, to make matters worse, they put a national speed limit sign up (about 10yds after a 50mph sign) and the road is equally sharp although a LOT more bumpy so therefore more dangerous at high speeds due to wheels bouncing etc..

Are these people on drugs??? or do they just want to ban people for fun and kill the rest?

Possibly both!

This happens all the time. There are a couple of bends on the A66 just West of Penrith. It's dual carriageway and they are fine at 70 in most cars but visibility (they're on a hump) is limited and there are farm entrances beyond the hump. Not unreasonable, then, to apply a lower limit to the bend. Unfortunately, some muppet has decided on 30 MPH (yes, 30!!!!) with the result that it just gets ignored. I suspect someone might well get hurt there one day and the "muppet" will scratch his head and then come to the conclusion that even 30 must be too fast and reduce the limit to 20! There's a brilliant article floating round somewhere called "height kills" about the same mentality applied to a low bridge - maybe someone could post a link to it?

Height kills - may be other places , but can be found on the ABD site under "last laughs"

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I'm all for warning people that it's a sharp corner, by all means ADVISE 50mph (and I've been told that skip trucks can only do 50mph round this corner) but don't enforce it as a 50mph zone, that makes it more dangerous on an average day than people speeding..

I've never yet seen an accident there (touch wood) although I know they happen, but I believe that 99% of these are in excess of 100mph, and the other 1% have mechanical faults ie tyre blow out due to extra pressure put on it.

If these people are willing to do over 100mph when it's a 70mph zone, are they going to change because it says 50mph?? NO, but they might stamp on their brakes from 100mph to 50mph if they see a vehicle on the bridge above (which is common because it leads onto a council estate so a lot of vehicles stop on there) and cause an accident due to vehicle braking on a right hand bend.

I just with they'd THINK (as they keep telling us) before putting camera's up everywhere and warning signs and rediculous speed limits..

I drive this section nearly every day. The 50mph limit is utterly stupid. Even in L3 and hence sharpest part of the bend 60-70mph is comfortable - so just awaiting the fixed scamera to be installed now! The section after that, and after the NSL sign I find a lot more unnerving; very narrow bendy lanes all the way up to the Stockport viaduct - tbh I think it's the most uncomfortable section of motorway I know, esp at rush-hour.

However, a good candidate for most stupid motorway speed limit and scamera has to be the permanent 50mph limit and camera on the totally straight south-bound M606. OK, there's a sharp bend at the end of it as you join the M62 (can still be taken at 60-70mph though) but the camera is a few hundred yards from the bend and the 50mph limit starts half a mile back!

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Why can't we just use Common Sense?

They're going mad at this corner now. Tonight I noticed a VAS has been installed a good half a mile from the start of the 50mph limit with "50 - Slow Down" displayed on it - not been activated just yet, (passed it at 70).

It wouldn't be so bad but I don't recall any accidents in this direction. However, the other way (anti-clockwise) at the same point there seems to be an accident at least once a week, (saw one on Monday whereby a car was halfway up the embankment with it's airbags inflated and front end totally smashed in). At this point there is also the only motorway slip road I know of that joins into the OUTSIDE lane.
And what measures and warnings do they install in this far more accident-prone direction? None, whatsoever.

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Why can't we just use Common Sense?

I think the accidents in the Anti-Clockwise direction aren't caused by the slip road joining the outside lane (which I admit is bad when I join it in a bus with a top speed of 50mph and won't reach it in that distance anyway)... But I think it's the slight bump where the inside lane goes off on its own, there's some chevrons between that and the other 2, the other 2 go right slightly then straighten up, where they straighten up there's a dip in the road with some adverse camber, this I find a little un-nerving (although fun at the right time of night / empty motorway times) because u can literally take off on it and it throws ya steering wheel (when in car) around a bit.

From the reactions I've had on here and more importantly the people I talk to in everyday life, the 50mph compulsory limit should be scrapped before a camera is installed, it's causing a lot of bad feelings and is also dangerous. Sick of people dropping to 50mph in the fast lane, they won't change lane because they thing the corner is so sharp it'd be dangerous or can't drive so I end up either undertaking them or braking hard to avoid pushin' them out of the way.. neither is ideal.