Safe Speed Forums

There's been the odd article about the proliferation of signs on the roads these days - I guess the councils may keep track for their own areas but it would be fascinating to know what the number of roadside signs is now across the UK as opposed to even 10 or 15 years ago - do we think anyone has that data and if so would it help build a case that we're just overloaded with information?

Perhaps more interestingly though I'd love to know how much traffic has been slowed by the increasing number of reduced speed limits around the country - perhaps via a 'theoretical driving time' to drive all the roads for each category Motorways/dual carriageways/A roads/etc. and then the sum total. What does everyone think - my initial impression is that so many limits have been moved downward we could certainly make some kind of argument that congestion is being caused by the same government that wants to penalise us for creating it... but I suppose we might find that in the big picture not that much of the road network has actually been affected.

Tied into that it would also be fascinating to assess how much of road capacity has been denied to cars through roads being narrowed deliberately, bus lanes etc.

Is any of this kind of data out there!?

Ian

Good idea but it's going to take a lot of work. As local councils determine the changes to any roads you would need to make a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request to each council's Highway Department I would think.

You could also try a FOI to the Department of Transport but I can virtually guarantee that they will try and fob you off with the old "costs too much for us to furnish you with that information" excuse.

Alternatively you could ask your local MP to raise it as a question in the commons.

I wish you the best of luck and would be interested in any findings.

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Prepare to be Judged

The problems of Labour Government policy are there for all to see. Congestion has been caused by

• Narrowing of roads
• Reduced speed limits
• Failure to build more roads when required (not an inch of new road built in 2001)
• Large single family homes being replaced by 20-30 flats, with no provision for the extra traffic that will create.
• Uncontrolled immigration, leading to many extra cars on the roads - witness all the "left-hookers" to be seen now, many with foreign plates.

In short, the Labour Government is responsible for the greatly increased congestion we suffer today. But then they have the temerity to say that the situation cannot be allowed to go on, and we must have road pricing to sort out the mess which they themselves have created.