Safe Speed Forums

Each to his own. I would druther drive twenty miles at a steady 50mph than two miles at an intermittent 5mph. But my car doesn't do walking pace at all well.

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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

I think it depends on the road that's been diverted. I'll often avoid the whole area, but when I know a minor road is quite adequate I'll use it.

Maybe the diversions are better thought out round your way!

Oh I don't know. Few pedestrians a dumb enough to walk along a road and hold up traffic where a foot path is available. I suspect an arrest and charge of obstruction or disorderly conduct would be inevitable for anyone actually stupid/stubborn enough to do so.

Go and prove the point: walk along the middle of a main road (start from a crossing [safety first]) such that you hold up traffic, and continue even after instructed to desist by the police - do you reckon you won't get arrested?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

It would be he height of discourtesy to obstruct traffic on a road where there is an adequate pavement so, obviously, I would not do that. Where there is no pavement I would expect drivers to wait and give me the opportunity to find a safe and convenient place to get off the road and allow them to pass.

It is all about courtesy. No class of road user should unnecessarily obstruct the free passage of another. Equally no raod user should cause another to feel threatened.

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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

We do not disagree here. Hell . we live in God's own walking country ..in Cumbria (now when here ) and do so still on the outskirts of Tucson to be fair..

BUT.. all the same locals ain't cops and some may indulge in "local feuding" such is the base of human nature at its worst.

I'd still rather see a local plod upholding the law fair and square than some busybody called "martin of ever decreasing circles"

OK .. call me "old fashioned" but tried tested and true old fashioned somehow works

PS .. I am so humbled by your post in chat and I know we may not agree on this and that.. but that deep down . we are actually kindred spirits who see eye to eye on most things.. but perhaps have to agree to disagree on speed cams and err .. green issues as I eats red meats here

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What you describe mirrors my own opinion; I don't believe anyone can dispute what you say.

However, it doesn't counter my response to you about priority. It is clear there is some sort of priority system, both in law and de facto.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

I think we all have to show courtesy to all others.

OK .. so I'm old fashioned and have been brought up by my parents to show "decent gentlemanly polite manners"

So .. I slow upand wave folk across.. .some of these folk show most obnoxious manners My own sister was most upset in 2006. She approached the mini roundabout at Walkden Railway Station.; where there is a mini roundabout.

She saw what she thought to be be a young lady waiting at the bollards under the railway bridge and before the min roundabout. She stopped and waved the young "lady" across. To her astonishment this young "lady" after crossing kicked her car . denting it and mouthed obscenities. My sister noted her entering the local chippy - where she was in fact heading .. and this "lady" started to abuse her verbally within the chip shop ..

Julia .. being Julia.. passed it off as "bint at time of month" (Jazz might have done the "Samaritan thing and called the cops.. but Julia is way too soft

But dcb.. in the 'burbs.. it;s courtesy begets courtesy.


You live .. as I understand in the High Peak .. and one of my pals at Uni? Her Dad was the vicar in your neck of the woods.. I almost married her instead of Vrenchen at one mad moment in our student days together at St Andrews . but fortunately .. met Wildy before I committed myself there and Vrenchen and Ruth are bosom pals too.. phewwwww!

But all the same . common sense prevails and it would not matter us country bumpkins as to who had right of way so long as we all survived by using common sense when faced with a problem.

Maybe .. I am just a bit odd .. by modern standards.

_________________
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.

Yes. I am arguing that considerations of courtesy should at times, override the normal priority. This is especially evident
during the current spell of bad weather. With many pavements blocked (and why that is the case is a question that deserves debate) pedestrians are forced to walk on the road. Motorists, even if they have priority should not bully those pedestrians by passing too close to them. Equally pedestrians should no insist on their priority should it cause a motorist to stop on a slippery section of road.

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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

Pavements are blocked because of the snow and ice !
They are not cleared because there are few to clear them.
In front of my house there is a clear area, because I have cleared it of snow and ice.
I had a person complain yesterday because he had got used to walking over ice and worried he may fall over after walking over the clear spot.
No neighbourly spirit anymore. And no council workmen anymore.
The councils now employ contractors to do the work, but even a cursory risk assessment means that few employers are going to send people out to clear pavements.
Too many pavements, too few workers. And don't say hire more....the costs are rather drastic.
Apart from the extra wages...and employers contribution...
For a start each person would have to be equipped with ppe to protect against the cold/wet (boots, gloves, hi-viz coat/pants etc...)
Then there are the tools for the job....
I'm waiting for the big melt....the rivers are already flooded....

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

What you say is correct, but not relevant for the general case (and is only evident in current conditions, not "especially").
When I said "where a foot path is available" I was trying to imply usable i.e. not covered in ice/snow.
Now what say you when a pavement is available (usable); can folks really freely walk along a road? I don't think so.

Of course, we're back to that general case where the road and pavement are equally slippery - the accepted separation of road user groups is especially important in that case.

I went shopping yesterday night (yes I chose to walk it, even though I have a 4wd and the store is 15 mins walk away and it was pigging cold). When on minor sections I walked on the road; when a car approached I hopped onto the pavement for that moment - why did I do that? When alongside the rather busier Axxx dual carriageway I chose to remain on the pavement and walk slowly.


Just to be clear to the reader (not aimed you DCB): I am not saying or implying "roads for cars, pavements for pedestrians", nor do I support that notion.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

I don't know about other countries, but I know in Germany it is the duty of every householder to ensure a clear pavement outside of their home (I believe failure to do so is some sort of offence). So within residential areas the pavements are always surprisingly clear when snowy (I've been there during quite a few winters). Oddly enough, I never heard any complaints about this policy.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

"Pavements are being left covered in ice because of ludicrous laws that put home owners and businesses at risk of being sued if they try to clear them.... the professional body that represents health and safety experts has issued a warning to businesses not to grit public paths - despite the fact that Britain is in the grip of its coldest winter for nearly half a century"

http://dailytelegraph.newspaperdirect.com/screenprint/viewer.aspx
edit: working link (inserted by Steve)

Whatever happened to "duty of care"? Anyway it hasn't stopped me and my neighbours from clearing and gritting the icy hill which has been preventing us from getting out. Sue and be damned.

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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

I have just been out and cleared and gritted another 50 yards of road. Please be prepared to stand bail for me.

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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

As it's all about doing something yourself when the authorities fail to act on your complaints, I'm going to propose to the PC that, rather than Community Speedwatch, a Community GritWatch task force is set up to rush out and spread the roads when ice sets in. People still get to go out and stand around in the cold but their efforts are much more useful.

They'll never go for it though as it involves helping motorists go a bit faster.

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

nice one, Malcolm ....

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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.

If they wanted to do something useful to battle a more dangerous activity why don’t they arm themselves with a camera and take pictures of drivers using mobile phones instead of the occasional safe driver driving to the conditions!

As ever, these hobby bobbies are obsessed with speed - not safety. I don't expect they give a s**t if someone's on the phone. Tossers!!!

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

On that topic -now seeing signs springing up "SLOW DOWN EARLIER" -written in felt tip on a piece of MDF .
Haven't seen any Speedwatchers though -although I do notice large groups of aged persons in Wilkos -prehaps that's why -in the little villages there's no Wilko to stand around in .

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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