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MPs' metric move to cut limits
Speed limits should be slashed to just over 40mph on motorways, say MPs

By Vaughan Freeman
18th October 2006

And they've devised a cost-effective way of cutting legal limits on all roads in a stroke.

Nia Griffith, Labour MP for Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, wants UK speed signs to be read as kilometres per hour instead of the familiar miles per hour - and 70kph on M-ways equates to 43mph. This would cut the limits by two-thirds without having to replace a single signpost.

The radical call came as MPs discussed climate change last week. "A national speed limit of 50mph would make roads safer," said Griffith. "And I suggest we interpret all signs in kph, so 30mph would be 30kph - around 20mph. And 40mph would mean 40kph, or 25mph. This wouldn't cost a lot.

"We all want our cars and the freedom to use them. But why could we not decide to have a much reduced speed limit? Few people realise how much of an economy they can make by travelling more slowly, but at present they are unable to do that without feeling they are holding up other road users."

Backing the suggestion, Lynne Featherstone, the Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, N London, added: "This is a good idea, and it would be very cheap to implement; the ease with which ordinary people can do things and the cost of the proposals is important."

Meanwhile, MPs have been asked to vote on graduated speeding penalties without knowing what the final upper thresholds would be. The new measures in the Road Safety Bill have been debated in Parliament.

The idea would bring in fixed fines and points for different speeds. It's thought that doing up to 39mph in a 30mph zone would bring two points with up to 45mph attracting three. Drivers travelling at more than 46mph would get six points. But MPs don't know the upper limit over 46mph.

Brian Gregory, of the Association of British Drivers, said: "It's absurd that MPs are voting without having all the facts."

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

These people must be on a different planet.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

What mileage of motorways are in:

a. Carmarthenshire
b. Hornsey





And the evidence for this is ..?

And then there is the little problem of cars having speedos graduated in MPH.

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

Our country is run by clowns.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Imagine an 18.6 mph limit in all urban areas, including those extended DCs, well that is what they are suggesting, and the idiotic 20mph limits will go down to 12.4 mph.

Now call me stupid if you like, but I always though that a vehicle is most fuel efficient in higher gears where the cylinders turn least for each turn of the wheels, and they appear to be suggesting that second gear at most should be used in town, and tickover in fifth on the motorway (43.5 mph). This would dramatically reduce the fuel efficiency of virtually all vehicles and increase the emmissions of exactly the gasses that these retards think they are reducing. Is it just me, but the old phrase "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach."* often extended with "Those who can't teach, administrate.", should perhaps be extended with "Those who are too stupid to administrate go into politics".

Had a little chat with Mrs Rewolf about it, and she said "don't even bother getting worked up about it, there is no way that the road haulage industry would allow it to happen". The absurdly low limits would cost a fortune in increased transport costs, due to the additional time for journeys, and would effectively destroy any last resemblance of this being a country in which business can be done.

* appologies to ree.t and any other teachers on here.

Mr Rewolf is correct - reduced emissions was one of the two reasons that Portsmouth is implementing a blanket 20mph limit, but cars produce HIGHER emissions at 20mph than 30mph

Even in this mad mad world, the proposal has zero credibility.

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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

The thing no one seems to have picked up on so far is that there are no speed limit signs on the motorway... (ignoring VSL signs and the like, and the odd few 70mph lollypops in North Wales).

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

No doubt many MPs would break the speed limits themselves and get away with it if this mad proposal were to ever come to fruition.

Forgive my ignorance of this thread.

From the horse's mouth


Think of the fun they can have with speed enforcement.......

Given that no sane driver would obey those limits:
"Now all accidents occur with drivers involved going above the speed limit....hence we need more speed enforcement" - cunning!

Think about those stupid 5mph limits becoming kph; it would be quicker to walk! Some cars may not even be able to go that slowly without clutch control.

she recommended having a 50mph NSL

Given that some roads in Portsmouth (among other areas) are already 20mph, would this proposed policy mean that this limit would actually drop to 12mph?
Would running (let alone cycling) at 13mph be seen as socially unacceptable as drink driving?

"a cheap solution"

For who?
It would cost me time, sanity, I wouldnt be able to visit manchester in a day and return, the highlands would be a 4 day trip!
peope in the highlands would be even more isolated and delivery costs would go up.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

I've often wondered if cyclists can be nicked for speeding....

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

There's about 5 miles of motorway in Carmarthenshire.

I think I know Nia Griffith, or have at least met her a few times.

Possibly one of the maddest things I've ever heard not so much outside the box, more off their box!

No they can't. Speed limits only apply to motor vehicles.

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

with a few exceptions (richmond park?) no, but there is the rather bizarre offence of "furious cycling".

edit: snap!

The tarby brained half wit doesn't realise if journeys take twice as long then congestion will be even worse, accident risk will increase as it will take at least twice as long to get anywhere thus increasing the exposure to the danger. Pollution will increase massively as a 2 hour journey will take 4 hours. Accidents due to fatigue would increase massively. Drivers will pay much less attention. Overtakers will brazen out oncoming traffic as they will be doing 30 mph towards them in nsl areas and go even slower in built up areas thus making people just barge they way through as they know people will get out of the way, and it won't hurt much if they don't.

Yet another MP that wants smacking in the face with a spade in the hope the shock might knock some commonsense into them.

If they really wanted to tackle climate change perhaps they should reduce the energy output from the sun.

Sounds a bit like some of these

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.