Safe Speed Forums

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5009058.stm

TfL looks at car speed limiters

Transport for London (TfL) has said it is working on a system which could automatically reduce a vehicle's speed.

But TfL said the Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) scheme is only being considered for public vehicles such as buses and taxis.

A spokesman said at first the scheme will alert drivers, via technology such as a satellite navigation system, that they are moving into a new speed zone.

He added ISA could help in reducing road deaths.

"We have met the government target of reducing casualties on the roads by 40% by 2012," TfL's spokesman said.

"They mayor now wants us to hit a target of 50% and ISA is one of the ways we are looking at to achieve this."

But the London Assembly Conservatives said if ISA is introduced every car entering London would need to be adapted, potentially at cost to the motorist.

The party's transport spokesman Roger Evans said: "This proposal is ill thought out, expensive and dangerous. We have real fears that accidents may result from car engines cutting out during manoeuvres.

"Drivers must be able to trust their vehicles at all times," he said.

But the TfL spokesman said at the moment they are not being considered for private vehicles.

"We are working on the theory that if you have enough vehicles like buses and taxis on the road travelling at the correct speed, then this will force other vehicles to move at the same speed."

TfL hope to carry out a trial of the scheme, possibly at the beginning of next year, involving 10 vehicles.

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Safe Speed issued the following PR at 15:55 this afternoon:

PR314: ISA a deadly mistake says Safe Speed

news: for immediate release

According to the BBC Transport for London (TfL) are considering forcing the
installation of so-called 'Intelligent Speed Adaptation' (ISA) on public
service vehicles and Taxis in the London area.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "ISA is a fatally flawed technology as far as road
safety is concerned. We need drivers engaged in the task of driving adjusting
their speed to suit immediate conditions. ISA will turn drivers into dangerous
zombies trusting the satellite and the speed limit to control the vehicle for
them. Clearly those who advocate this system understand nothing about the
process of safe driving or road safety."

"The initial simulator trials at Leeds demonstrated the dangers very clearly
indeed - but that hasn't stopped wild claims and an extraordinary waste of
public money - over £3m so far - chasing a technology that is doomed to fail.

<ends>

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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

"We have met the government target of reducing casualties on the roads by 40% by 2012," TfL's spokesman said.

What does this mean? Are they suggesting they can predict the future?
When was this target set anyway?

This article was the first one I could find on the TfL site relating to the 40% reduction...

...and whilst searching for this, I also found this from Richmond upon Thames, which shows the folly of using KSI's to measure road safety improvements:



So, they've achieved the required 40% drop in KSI's, but within that have also achieved a 300% increase in fatalities - yeah, you can see why they'd want to keep people focused on the 40% figure

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Chris

Thanks Twister.

I thought the 40% target was for fatalities only, oh well.
It is funny how they claim a success when the figures for injury only accidents improve but the figures for fatalities deteriorate, the latter conveniently being less frequent but having much more significance than the former.


Man, the ‘bias on selection’ is clear as day:


Yet,

40% reduction in both cases huh? That would mean that the supplemental measures were redundant!!!
Well technically that last statement is true: the cameras may have seen the reduction but they certainly were not the cause of it, but how do you think that statement will read to the uninformed reader?

"We are working on the theory that if you have enough vehicles like buses and taxis on the road travelling at the correct speed, then this will force other vehicles to move at the same speed."

Given the high proportion of two wheeled traffic in London - anyone spot the flaw in the plan?

Speeding in London can easily be solved - stop setting the traffic lights to pause for between 20s and 2 minutes between cycles - that way drivers wouldn't be so keen to go as fast as possible to beat the next change (200yds up the road).

We might also see a reduction in red light violations too

I think you have a point with the traffic lights DIY.....

As for speed limiters, I think I'd probably drive like I was in a dodgem car with one fitted.

Foot flat on the floor letting the computer drive the car. I could then focus my attention on where I'm going on holiday, what I'm having for dinner tonight. Shall I visit my best fr SMACK.

What a stupid plan. I've been accused of arrogance in the past, but it's hard not to think a lot of one's self when those in high-powered positions are so completely and utterly stupid.

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