Safe Speed Forums

Don't know if this is the correct place for this...

I often drive into Cambridge from the A14 along Huntingdon Road past Girton. I last drove into the city about 2 or 3 weeks ago.

The length of Huntingdon Road from the end of the dual carriageway, adjacent to Cambridge University Farm/Girton College entrance, to a point about 30 feet prior to the junction with Sherlock Road has been 40mph for years.

Today, I happened to drive in along this road and there was a temporary one way traffic control restriction (Stop/Go boards) at the junction with Girton Road , with several HiViz spade leaners stood around doing nothing, which required me to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to be allowed through.

On leaving on my return journey, I turned right from Victoria Road onto Huntingdon Road and maintained 30 mph past the speed camera, adjacent to Westfield Road, until I reached what was the start of the 40mph zone heading back towards Girton. I increased my speed (as did the two or three cars in front) to 40mph and maintained it along the route.
It was only as I approached the area of the earlier temporary traffic control at the Girton Road junction that I spotted the brand new 40mph signs - so for the whole length of the Huntingdon Road I had been doing 40 in what is now a 30 area!!!!

Due to the tailback at the 'roadworks' on my drive in, I hadn't noticed the change in speed restriction - maybe they were in the process of erecting the new signs.

Anyway, if anyone else uses this road into Cambridge, they might want to be aware of this change - it may be a money spinner for the Road Sa£ety Cam£ra lot if they don't put up any advance warning of the change in speed limit. Is there any requirement to give advance warning of such? I know they do for changes to road layout etc...

One of my biggest gripes, that.

If they can afford to put up signs saying "new traffic island ahead" or similar, which let's face it you aren't going miss seeing are you? Why the hell can't they put signs up saying "speed limit reduced", because often all it involves is them removing 40MPH signs which regular drivers know are there and get get used to seeing, to make it a 30MPH limit. Maybe they are embarrased that they have reduced the limit to an un-necessarily low one ...or maybe they just want to extract money from us...it's hardly a road safety move if they don't feel it needs notifying of, is it`?

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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.

As the temporary one way stop/go traffic control was diverting traffic around the point where the new 30 limit sign is now, I am hoping that they were actually in the process of putting it up....
(coincidently, there were some road works taking place at the old 30 location - ripping old one out as new one was put up?)

I may just take a drive along the road to see if they have put up any advisory notices - if not I feel an email to local highways dept maybe due!!

I wouldn't put money on the chance that they have done, Bob.

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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.

Some councils out them up ,others don't bother .And , I've even seen our lot (Warks) who seldom put up any , stick them up ( mostly in places where they'd find it hard to place a van ), and " deem them not necessary ) in places where a van can sit on a grass verge .

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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

yep the place is obviously such a danger spot that it warrants a van but not a warning sign to people, that the limit has dropped, so they should slow down...very logical.

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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.

The new 30 sign was partially hidden.What ( to me) gave the game away was the mark on the lamp posts where the 40 repeaters used to be .

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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

Naughty naughty!

From TSM Ch 3:

" 14.33 Direction 11(4)(a) does not permit a 30 mph speed limit to have repeater signs where a road has carriageway lighting (see para 14.21). Any adjacent length of road which is also lit and subject to a different speed limit, including the national limit, will have repeater signs (other than a 20 mph zone).

Should an order be made to extend the 30 mph limit into this adjacent length of road, the terminal signs will be moved to the new speed limit changeover point and the repeater signs removed entirely. Regular drivers might not at first realise that the speed limit has changed; they might not notice that the speed limit signs have been removed. A sign to diagram 7032 should therefore be erected to advise drivers that a new 30 mph speed limit is in force (see figure 14-19).

Thanks for the replies - Dougman, I've found out there is a sign fitting the description you posted at the 40 to 30 limit point.

"Regular drivers might not at first realise that the speed limit has changed; they might not notice that the speed limit signs have been removed."

Would Mr Plod do a driver for driving without due care and attention?...

"What do you mean sir? You didn't notice the road signs? tut tut tut...."

Ah well, I know it has changed now - will keep an eye open for the Cash Machine errr, Road Safety Camera van from now on...

Dougman -I've used this bit for years . possibly familiarity bred contempt over the new limit ,and I didn't notice it .What caught my eye was the dark patches on the light poles where the repeaters used to be . That made me wonder ( and drop to 30) till I'd passed the new 40 limit. Strangely enough , this is two villages ,where the limit was for years 40 .Now one is 30 ,the other is 40 and I can't see any reason for the difference -houses are all well back from the road ,with a large grass verge between road and pavement ( Verge is large enough fo a permanant site for a Transit to sit well off the road and enforce . ). Must be a nice little earner .

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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

Botach: The naughty naughty comment was not aimed at you, rather than the 'designers' of the limit who failed to carry out the correct procedures.

The sign should (and it would seem was) erected, but I douby most people would share your observation skills for noticing areas where signs used to be

Didn't think it was . Not really observational skills , saw dark patches on poles ,remembered that i thought it was a 40 ,and wondered . What I remembered was the many discussions on here about a 30 not requiring repeaters on a lit road .

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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