Safe Speed Forums

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4607181.stm



Just seen this advertised on the tv. Looks like 50% of authorities are underspending on their road repair budgets, putting lives at risk. One story is from WALES where there had been 34 accidents on one stretch of road blaimed on the road surface, eventualy the authority was successfully sued when a PCs wife was killed. I wonder if there is a camera there. The autority initialy denied the road was dangerous

Also one new type of road surface used for the past 10 years significantly increases braking distances.

_________________
Speed camera policy Kills

All,

I spend most of my driving trying to avoid bumps and always staring at the surface to avoid the ruts-bit dangerous really, like staring at you speedo all day


It sounds like a programme that is well overdue but no doubt the dicks in the road department will have the last say. They will wheel out some tired statistic about spending on roads increasing year on year, but what they wont say is that the spending is NOT proportional with the amount of revenue raised.....will they?:roll:


Regards


Andrew

_________________
It's a scam........or possibly a scamola


Homer Simpson

In the unlikely event any one with the power to act will read this I would like to state for the record.


YOU’RE KILLING PEOPLE TO SAVE MONEY AND PASSING THE BLAME ONTO THE VERY PEOPLE YOUR KILLING JUST SO YOU CAN USE THERE DEATHS AS JUSTIFICATION TO MAKE MOENY

It is time for a truly independent road safely body with the power to force improvements in road repair and design.

I cannot remember where, but I am sure that I read or heard someone say that allowing potholes to develop was deliberate as a calming measure, because they are just like speed bumps but without all the planning hastle.

They certainly spend more on painting stupid warning features and unnecessary lines all over the road while ignoring the sunken manholes, and broken sections on the same road. Last week outside my house they were adding red high-grip surface with "SLOW" embedded in it at 5 points before a set of traffic lights. The first is over 200 yards before the traffic lights that they are suggesting you slow for, and the speed limit? 30mph of course. Meanwhile my neighbours have been complaining for years about their house shaking as heavy vehicles crash over a sunken manhole cover.

The holes certainly cause vibration through buildings, which is not the argument the Councils use. if they filled in the F****** holes the houses wouldn't shake when HGVs went over the bumps, and to add insult to injury, the HGVs wouldn't be passing through these narrow residential streets if these tossers SPENT THE BLOODY MONEY ON ROAD IMPROVMENTS instead of building inverted potholes everywhere (traffic humps?

Regards


Andrew

_________________
It's a scam........or possibly a scamola


Homer Simpson

There is a road near where I live, the have just put a speed hump there. They resurfaced the zone where the hump is.

The fact is the road is so bad you can actualy driver over the speed hump faster than you can drive the rest of the road...that is NO joke.

_________________
Speed camera policy Kills

One stunning revelation is that the new SMA "thin mastic" surface that is being used on 60% of new surfaces was never tested in UK in dry conditions according to Road Transport Laboratory. First testing on SMA in wet was over 10 years ago and it was then approved for use. Example was shown of how when dry, the SMA surface increased the skidding distance using a police vehicle.

What madness is this?

I knew some roads were pretty badly maintained, and that the investment isn't too flash, but . It's given me a thought though, so I'm going to put a serious devil's advocate question here: if the program is right and our road quality has not only failed to improve as an average driver would expect but has actually deteriorated, could that account for the fatality gap? Do we know if other countries that have a fatality gap, or are developing one, have similar issues with road quality? Or can we point to the dates fitting the speed kills policy but not the deterioration in road quality?

_________________
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

That footage was amazing. The police vehicle stopped eventually!!

I've had two polacs on that type of surface, in dry clear conditions. Once I was stopped by a kindly hedge, the second time I gave a good impression of what happens when a Volvo imitates a dodgem against a brick wall.

Road maintenance in my patch is probably the biggest single cause of accidents. We have massive potholes at junctions, causing some interesting driving to get round them, we have overgrown verges and blocked drains, and I think the last time roads were swept was when Dick Turpin reported an RTC with a stagecoach.

Add to that anti-skid surfaces which have been refilled by utility companies but not matched to surface...

But, of course, plenty of red paint advertising speed limits.

Most worrying of all, we have two major trunk routes maintained (well) by the Highways Agency in stark contrast to the rubbish un-maintained by the county council. So the plan....detrunk the roads and hand them over to County for maintenance. Can't wait....

If the Highways Agency aren't interested in maintaining roads, what the f*** are they there for ? (Apart from imitating us in new range rovers and joining camera partnerships, of course....)

The really pissing-off factor is I know damn well if I write "Surface unable to support safe driving at reasonable speed for conditions" our highways dept will translate this to "excessive speed" for the statistics....

Havent you tried reporting these, and seeing if they come out and do them?

Here in Cumbria, they did SOME parts of the A591 a week or two ago, then instead of continuing, gave up and pi**ed off somewhere else. The countdown markers for the southern Kendal junction are invisible. Three months ago, somebody collided with tha armco at this point, and about 30 foot of it ended up twisted and uprooted. Well you cant tell now, because the twisted up end (which is a danger in itself) has been overgrown!
MANY of our limit signs are hidden, as are direction signs etc..

Some joker has just repainted the double white lines around the bend in the middle of Staveley Main street. Each line is so thick, water pools between the two lines when it rains, and kids paddle in it! They were'nt that careful either - in parts, they are wide enough apart to resemble a cycle lane!! The bend is so narrow and tight, NOBODY would consider overtaking there anyway! And what is most distressing??? My council tax (and JT's, Ian H, etc.) helped pay for it - not the speed cam cash!!

_________________
Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

I find the waste of money absolutely scandalous. They even want to increase the council tax as well - and make us all pay more for spending on improving the property - and they even want to include the content of the garden shed.! It seems I am to be taxed for owning a big petrol lawn mower! I hasten to add - this is according to the Daily Wail - so have not guarantee as to how factual this is!

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

As for the programme itself - I found it astonishing that the TRL only tested for worst case scenario - but were aware that the SMA caused a slide. West Germany and Switzerland have been testing glass particles in the mix. If you ever wondered why it glittered a bit in the sun - that's the reason. Idea is that it helps tyres to grip - especially in the icier conditions. They have been testing this for past 5 years and I understand that they are quite pleased with the result - per Wildy's German BiB cousin -based in Nuremberg.

Underfunding roads, poor drainage, surfacing, lack of repairs and dangerous repairs on the part of utility workers....one wonders how many of the ten alleged casualties per day are due to this and not speeding drivers? I note the anwer to one problem appeared to be reducing speed limit to 50 mph and whacking up a scam. Even though the Highways Agency later admitted in the programme than the surface was a prime factor.

Personally - I have noted for myself more and more breaks in tarmac surface, as well as pot holes and ruts which remain in a state of disrepair for months on end, apparently abandoned utility works .... and it reminds me of some recent drives to Cesky Krumlov (Austrian-Czech border), Quedlingburg and Coldtz Castle (Old East Germany) where you certainly feel every hole in the road

If road safety is the issue - we deserve better - as motorists, bikers, cyclists and pedestrians who all part with a lot of dosh in taxation.

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

This programme was one of the more thought provoking I have seen in a long time and I would recommend everyone who missed it to catch it if its ever repeated. We had

1. Dangerous surfaces for bikes caused by faulty gap covering materials, man hole covers, SMA, paint....

2. Dangerous surfaces for cars through SMA, blocked drains, poor maintenance etc

Related links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4607181.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm
Annoyingly the Beeb don't seem to bother with transcripts online, but if anybody is desperate I still have it on tape and could knock a better summary, or given time a transcript. I'll put the tape to one side for a couple of weeks in case.

_________________
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I feel exactly the same. Some of the roads in and around Scarborough are in a disgraceful state, and I have wondered if it is a deliberate policy to leave them like that to discourage car drivers from using them.

It also seems that North Yorkshire County Council have increased their use of rumble strips, road painting schemes and general traffic calming, and these are largely a waste of money IMHO.

My feeling is that the disturbance caused by potholes and rough patches is extremely irritating to drivers, which is not the mental state we should be promoting. What we should have is decently maintained roads that help to promote a feeling of calm, quiet and peaceful driving. Even if the irritation is not immediately felt, I believe it is there at a subconscious level and having undesirable effects.

Best wishes all,
Dave.