Speeding when the VSL cameras are not operative

but do 'speeders' cause accidents - I find the car dawdling along at 50 in the middle lane far more of a hazard.

I think in some US States tickets are issued for excessively SLOW drivers on the motorways.

Not sure about the statement that changes (imposing speed limit of 70) will reduce delays.

 

Luckily its really hard to go over 70 on the times of day I commute between Wakey and Leeds! Although not sure they're enforcing it yet, as I haven't received any letters in the months since they opened the smart motorway from Leeds.

 

Erm, people would stick to going 40/50/60 throughout the Smart Motorway section thus keeping the traffic flowing, rather than 70/80 between the camera's and creating a bottleneck when they have to slam the brakes on.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-drive-on-a-smart-motorway

 

Lots of assumptions here, but assume it's 20 miles from Barnsley to Leeds and it's possible to drive at a constant speed all the way.

If 2 cars left Barnsley at the same time, one drove at 70mph and the other at 80mph, the faster car would reach Leeds 129 seconds before the slower one.

Even on a trip to London (180 miles) the difference in arrival time would be less than 20 minutes. Unless someone drives at a ridiculously fast speed, the actual saving in time is minimal. And yes I have been on a speed awareness course

 

I don’t understand people who speed, just set off a few minutes earlier (and as you say, it really is a few minutes) or just get there a bit later. If you’re pulled over or crash you’re going to get there much later than just sticking to the speed limit. At night there’s even less point, there’s so little traffic that journey times can be nearly halved anyway.

 

That reminds me of someone (it may have been on here but can't remember) who complained abut the high charges of next-day delivery on Amazon. I said I never paid the next-day charges and still got my goods delivered on time. When asked how I did it, I simply said that I ordered the stuff a couple of days earlier.

He was not amused.

 

Ermm I think you've missed the point - this is about the cameras being on detecting people travelling faster than 70mph at 3 in the morning when the motorway is empty

 

No problem. My comment was to the original OP, l can't see anything about 3am in that link only about travelling above 70.

 

Waste of electricity, everyone knows that it's 70mph.

 

The speed limit is still 70 whether the road is busy or empty.

 

Sorry but you are wrong. It may (in your opinion) be perfectly safe for YOU to drive at 80 on an empty motorway but there are some people (for example those using mobile phones or otherwise not concentrating) for whom it certainly isn't safe - for them or anyone else who happens to be around. But safety isn't really the issue here.

Here's a couple of statistics for you.

1) driving at 80 for one of the longest possible motorway journeys (Exeter to Glasgow, 447 miles) would save you about 30 minutes out of 6 hours 25 minutes. Is it really worth all that extra stress for such a tiny advantage? Translate that to a 20 mile journey and it saves you 2 minutes. Pointless.

2) If your car gives 50mpg at 70, you will only get 43mpg at 80. The Exeter to Glasgow journey would cost you almost 2.5 Gallons (£10). and cost the environment 121Kg of Carbon Dioxide, not to mention a proportional increase in other pollutants.

It is mindless behaviour like this which is screwing the planet.

Edit - the CO2 figure of 2.68Kg was for a litre.

 

But why - Because Mr. Plod / Theresa May / Some pin head in the dept transport / You say so is not good enough for me.

Laws need to be there for a reason.

Laws on traffic speed need to be there for safety, traffic flow or pollution

The 70mph limit meets none of these. Other speeds might meet some - but the 70mph meets none.

Cameras active to enforce this nonsense law at 3 am in the morning are there for no other reason than revenue generation.

 

Yes but for a different reason that can't be recorded by a camera.

 

But all motorists should know what the national speed limit is on a motorway without signs shouldn't they?

 

You would think so. But I recently went on a speed awareness course (I know, I know...) and there was a bloke there who claimed the speed limit on a motorway was 80mph. When challenged, his argument to the guy running the course was "Well a mate told me you won't get 'done' at 80, so that must be the limit". Thick as a plank.

On the same course a woman got thrown out for playing with her phone during the course, despite several warnings. That cost her the £85 course fee plus the £100 fine and 3 points that she was supposed to be avoiding by going on the course. Thick as a plank.

 

If you read my other post contrasting the pros and cons of 70 and 80 mph, you'll see that there are several justifications for not allowing people to drive at 80. I agree that 70mph is arbitrary but then again so are pretty well all the UK speed limits. Are you arguing for a German-style no limits policy?

 

Agreed, sometimes you have to speed up and slow down depending on what other people are doing - slavishly sticking to one speed is not really practical on a busy motorway. If I am doing 70 and there's a wingnut driving up my A**s or in my blind spot or moving up and down the lanes at different speeds I am quite happy to do a different speed for 10 minutes to get rid of him/her which then allows me to go at my desired cruising speed.

 

I was on a safety awareness course 2 weeks ago. One had done 32 in a 30. Another had done 71 on the motorway. There is no leeway.