Evening folks,
This has been puzzling me for a while, and rather than simply ask google I am curious for an answer on here.
Why is a coach speed limited to 65mph and a lorry 56mph? Why are they not both the same?
The coaches are limited to 100 k which is about 62mph.I was in a coach on the Mway yesterday and could hardly get past some lorries.56 my RRRse.
Probably because us brits decided that 44 ton was capable of a lot more damage at 65 mph than a 12 ton coach would be my first choice.
The laws of physics also dictate that the heavier the object, the longer it takes to stop!
alamcculloch:
The coaches are limited to 100 k which is about 62mph.I was in a coach on the Mway yesterday and could hardly get past some lorries.56 my RRRse.
Did they have Irish plates?
But the bus has 50+ lives onboard?! It just doesn’t add up/make sense to me.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Did they have Irish plates?
:lol::lol:
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
alamcculloch:
The coaches are limited to 100 k which is about 62mph.I was in a coach on the Mway yesterday and could hardly get past some lorries.56 my RRRse.Did they have Irish plates?
Yeah they had to be irish because no one else has ever had a lorry delimited.
alamcculloch:
The coaches are limited to 100 k which is about 62mph.I was in a coach on the Mway yesterday and could hardly get past some lorries.56 my RRRse.
I believe that if it doesn’t have a speed limiter then the limit is 70mph.
It goes back to the days of allowing coaches to compete with the railways.
Like many laws there is not always any logic to them. One that comes to mind is the banning of LGV’s and PCV’s from the outside lane of a motorway but no such ban exists on dual carriageways.
waddy640:
Like many laws there is not always any logic to them. One that comes to mind is the banning of LGV’s and PCV’s from the outside lane of a motorway but no such ban exists on dual carriageways.
Vehicles fitted with a speed limiter and/or towing vehicles are only restricted from the outside lane of a motorway when it is three or more lanes wide.
jay0:
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
alamcculloch:
The coaches are limited to 100 k which is about 62mph.I was in a coach on the Mway yesterday and could hardly get past some lorries.56 my RRRse.Did they have Irish plates?
Yeah they had to be irish because no one else has ever had a lorry delimited.
Like Lomas!!! 
anisboy:
waddy640:
Like many laws there is not always any logic to them. One that comes to mind is the banning of LGV’s and PCV’s from the outside lane of a motorway but no such ban exists on dual carriageways.Vehicles fitted with a speed limiter and/or towing vehicles are only restricted from the outside lane of a motorway when it is three or more lanes wide.
That is my point, on a three lane dc they can use all three lanes, on a three lane motorway they can’t.
Its to do with passenger perception, if the passenger thought they were going to travel on a vehicle that’s slower than a lorry they wouldn’t bother , I’m sure it’s been discussed on here before …
It is interesting…the many contributions so far have also been my considerations to the possible answer(s)…there seems nothing absolute or definite apart from…
waddy640:
Like many laws there is not always any logic to them. One that comes to mind is the banning of LGV’s and PCV’s from the outside lane of a motorway but no such ban exists on dual carriageways.
Logic has been mentioned, and logic for me would be if an accident due to speed which kills 20+ souls compared to 1 soul and a load of toxic cows milk would equate to a reduction in road speed of the coach. Although perhaps it is decided that a coach travelling at 65mph is perfectly safe compared to an HGV as Gembo points out
Gembo:
Probably because us brits decided that 44 ton was capable of a lot more damage at 65 mph than a 12 ton coach would be my first choice.
The laws of physics also dictate that the heavier the object, the longer it takes to stop!
Unless I am presented with some facts which represent sound research on the basis that a lorry travelling at 65mph is going to cause more injury and death than one travelling at 56mph then my curiosity behind this ruling is maintained.
Gembo:
Probably because us brits decided that 44 ton was capable of a lot more damage at 65 mph than a 12 ton coach would be my first choice.
The laws of physics also dictate that the heavier the object, the longer it takes to stop!
Thats not the reason because we had them limits when the max weight was 38T . Also 12T lorries still have the same restriction 
Mike-C:
Gembo:
Probably because us brits decided that 44 ton was capable of a lot more damage at 65 mph than a 12 ton coach would be my first choice.
The laws of physics also dictate that the heavier the object, the longer it takes to stop!Thats not the reason because we had them limits when the max weight was 38T . Also 12T lorries still have the same restriction
Oh no…and that logic was beginning to persuade me 
Rebuttal from Gembo?
kemaro:
Its to do with passenger perception, if the passenger thought they were going to travel on a vehicle that’s slower than a lorry they wouldn’t bother , I’m sure it’s been discussed on here before …
Very true. The safest solutions are not always the most desirable for fare paying passengers. If it was then all seats in Buses, Coaches and Aircraft for passengers would face the rear. Military passenger type aircraft seats usually face the rear but civil passengers would complain.
They’d also be sick
viking7000:
kemaro:
Its to do with passenger perception, if the passenger thought they were going to travel on a vehicle that’s slower than a lorry they wouldn’t bother , I’m sure it’s been discussed on here before …Very true. The safest solutions are not always the most desirable for fare paying passengers. If it was then all seats in Buses, Coaches and Aircraft for passengers would face the rear. Military passenger type aircraft seats usually face the rear but civil passengers would complain.
Good point about the seating, when was the last time a plane reversed into anything