Safe Speed Forums

Has anyone noticed Motorway speed limits tend to be temporarily reduced to 40 mph when there is an "incomplete crash barrier"? Usually accompanied by a follow up sign saying "speed restriction in force for your safety".

A NSL single carriage way has no such a crash barrier, yet the speed limit on this kind of road is 60. Cars happily zip past eachother at a speed difference of 120 mph without widespread carnage. So why does a small section of missing crash barrier on a 3 mile stretch of motorway represent such a hazard in the eyes of the speed limit setters?

Any thoughts?

(I apologise if this is being discussed elsewhere already)

I've seen many and IMO it's just an excuse to enforce a limit.

You often see gaps in the Armco barriers on motorways yet they don't reduce the speed limit (unless it becomes a roadworks).

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Yes. It's distorted 'safety' by the principle of 'cover my arse'.

Clearly they have given no consideration to the probability of the risk, only the possibility of the risk.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Paul: "Yes. It's distorted 'safety' by the principle of 'cover my arse'."

Absolutely, it's exactley this principle that detracts from 'proper' safety and brings it into disrepute.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

That is exactly the same "excuse" (expensively) posted on the A34 roadworks to the North of Oxford.

They scheduled six months for "whatever they are doing", and are already a couple of weeks late. The live GATSOs are still in place though

I guess that it avoids saying that the stupidly reduced speed limit is to protect the workforce (who are never there in the first place!!)

mb