Having said all that, I still think the 40mph limit should be raised to 50mph in about 90% of A roads!
Since we’ve been debating this one for a long time here at TN now (& I’m in full agreement with the proposal) I have been observing roads where our limit is 40.
Some roads are quite safe for 50 @ 44 tonne, whilst others, 40 is fast.
My observations seem to indicate that, in most cases, the fairest way to decide which roads are safer for the higher limit, would be on the width of the road.
Modern, relatively new roads tend to be quite wide, often without foot paths, & relatively straight & clear of hazards: this type of road I feel sure would be safe at the higher limit.
An xlwb Sprinter, weighing upto 3.5 tonnes, driven by a car license holder with no further training, can legally do 50 whilst relying on just 4 vacuum assisted brakes. Yet us more highly trained drivers with up to twelve air/spring operated brakes, are only allowed 40
I understand the government are aware of this & the traffic build up caused at 40, but have not, as yet, made any decisions.
teekaydee:
Alas, the other day having drove past every camera except 1 doing 48mph I was snapped by the last 1 just before Oxford. OH [zb]!..How can this be I thought, is my speedo out? is the camera naff? after all, I was doing less than the actual speed limit for cars which the camera was set for. So, on christmas eve I get a ticket for speeding in a LGV at 48mph.
Well lets make this a bit of a club who else has got a speeding fine for christmas. Got zapped 3 sunday nights ago bottom of Leadenham hill A17, office confirmed that the NIP has arrived they’ve sent it back off so i’ll get it in the new year. And the speed was bang on 50 on a 40 for hgv 60 for other.
So the following sunday night i’m being dead well behaved keeping as close to 40 as my boredom threshold will allow, when this {zb} in a discovery tries to wipe himself out on the front of a coach coming the other way whilst overtaking me, then after failing to do this he jams on the anchors in front of me , he seemed realy intent on wiping himself out or maybe he didnt like the benefit of the renault full beam. Anyway when way when the long awaited letter drops on the mat i’ll just pay the fine and carry on trying to keep me head down I suggest you do the same .
marcustandy: Having said all that, I still think the 40mph limit should be raised to 50mph in about 90% of A roads!
There is bucklies chance of the limit being raised in the present polictical climate. Can you imagine the headlines in the Mail etc and the reports on telly as all the so called road safety groups get thier sound bites out. Especially Transport 2000 which has nothing to do with road safety, but is a group made up from Public transport unions and environmental groups.
The whole road safety push is to catch those who exceed the speed limit speeds, in the strange belief that this will achieve all the target for casualty reduction. The only targets it will achieve is in the amount of fines given to drivers.
As most of us know the real dangerous drivers are not always the one exceeding the speed limit, but those driving to fast for the road conditions or who are to impatient, aggresive or incompetant.
the people who make the decisions never listen to those of us who know what we are talking about so why don’t we aim for people who make themselves heard? if we really wanted to, we could ■■■■■■■ this country within a couple of days. we all know that but it is a bit drastic and would make us even less popular than we presently are. what we could do is approach this from a more diplomatic (even though i dont think its a soft approach) angle. the government is way behind on its pollution reduction targets so we could use that in our favour. a slow truck may pump out less than a fast one but it will pump out a lot longer due to the time it takes to cover the same distance. chuck that in a tree-huggers inbox and let them start a campaign for us. its a matter of pushing the real facts at the people in their respective fields. with the exception of foad safety since faster = dangerous in their eyes. other factors such as congestion, frustration and sheer monotony aren’t recognised when it comes to hgv drivers
Sounds good Scanny. We should point out that at 50mph, a truck is] in the best fuel use (economy) zone on the rev counter. At 40, it is below the economy zone so is less efficient and burning more diesel over a given distance than at 50. So not only is it burning fuel for longer, it is burning more fuel and for longer.
It sounds like it could be worth a try. Can you give us e-mail addresses to spam? If you can post a suitable e-mail for us to copy and paste, that would be even better . We can be a lazy bunch at the best of times so the less we have to do the better.
Just had a speed ticket in for one of our drivers this morning. 48mph passing Purdy Lodge on the A1 at Adderstone. More and more of the cameras can tell the difference it just isnt worth the risk.
unfortunately i am new to having a pc so i dont really have any contacts with anyone other than the 3 truckers sites i have registered with. probsblt safer really cos i am Scottish and i really hate the way we are treated. i would end up getting into trouble for telling the pm that his head is up his back passage or something
I MIGHT BE WRONG …but dont the computers that have the no plate recognition softwarealso have a link to the dvla database?
which means they know from the reg no what speed your suppossed to be doing as all the vehicles details are on the database
This subject has been discussed on here many many times, speeding only benefits one person and thats your boss, the quicker you get the job done the morehe expects you to do.
The speed for hgv,s on a single carriageway is 40 mph , so face up to reality folks whether you have the most modern truck in the world with abs, ebs, etc etc there is no way in this world that you will raise the speed limit, whether you block downing street or run through london dressed up as batman and robin, you not only have the government to convince but you would also have rospa to get past as well.
Learn to live with it just do 40 sit back and relax and enjoy driving a truck if you cant do that then i suggest you find an alternative career as pretty soon you wont have a licence.
mezzzz1211:
I MIGHT BE WRONG …but dont the computers that have the no plate recognition softwarealso have a link to the dvla database?
which means they know from the reg no what speed your suppossed to be doing as all the vehicles details are on the database
there are lots of different types of speed cameras, the ones that are placed at the side of the road and flash are not linked to dvla.
the cameras that estimate your speed between them like the ones around nottingham ring road and now on the a628 from m1 junction 36 could be linked to dvla.
some of the speed detector vans also have number plate recognition but often it’s not used to decide the speed you should be travelling at but to chaeck that your vehicle has road fund licence and or an o licence.
static cameras that face you are not able to detect the type of vehicle as yet, they work from the lines that are placed in front of the camera which are unable to ascertain the vehicle length or size.
it’s the cameras that face the direction of travel and take a picture of the rear of the vehicle which have the ability to distinguish between large goods vehicle and car.
johnny:
there are lots of different types of speed cameras, the ones that are placed at the side of the road and flash are not linked to dvla.
This is one of the newer generation of digital mini Gatso cameras that is placed at the side of the road and does flash and is linked to DVLA and can tell your vehicles particulars in an instant… and is mounted on a higher pole to deter vandalism!
johnny:
the cameras that estimate your speed between them like the ones around nottingham ring road and now on the a628 from m1 junction 36 could be linked to dvla.
SPEC’s cameras are fairly easy to distinguish, so long as they’re not hidden in motorway info signs!!
This is what they look like.
Here’s an interesting bit of info I found:
A reliable source tells me the SPECS cameras on the A43 Lumbertubs Way in Northampton are not working! They are functioning, but are not making the sort of returns on their £350K investment that was anticipated. The reason? It has been discovered that since the cameras only cover the outside lane of this dual carriageway, if drivers ensure they are not in the outside lane at the reference points for the cameras, or if they only pass one of the four cameras covering each direction whilst in the outside lane, then the system dumps the captured image of their number plate. The drivers “in the know” are not members of the general public (draw your own conclusions)…
Can I just say for any and all drivers who use the A420 from Swindon to Oxford…
be VERY careful on that road. I grew up in Oxford and the road was known as a death trap. I know that it has been improved, but there are still regularly fatal crashes.
A neighbours son aged about 20 was killed on the A420 a few years back.
Just take care out there, especially as we are now in the season of icy nights and mornings.
HERE IS A GREAT IDEA.
we should start a register of all the cameras that can detect trucks.
perhaps trucknet can put another section in that details the areas and camera spots where these cameras are sighted.
another post is needed methinks.
hunter:
just invest in a snooper or other unit…or become a coach driver…after all does the value of their cargo carried demand the higher speeds allowed…
Been there, done that.
Its not worth the hassle. I prefer my “cargo” not to argue or answer back Þ
There has been a lot written by many on this and other forums about speeding, speed limits and speed cameras. I won’t go into my opinions about it all except to say that like it or not the law is the law, and the only real option is to have the law changed. However, I saw what would be the perfect antidote to tax-cameras on another forum some time ago. Unfortunately it could never happen, but if it did it would work.
Since despite what the authorities say most of these cameras are out to raise revenue by catching speeding vehicles, the answer is a national campaign of civil obedience. If nobody at all exceeded the limit, the cameras would raise no revenue, making them uneconomical and pointless. Therefore, in a bid to raise revenue elsewhere they would have to target other more realistically safety conscious issues, less open to black and white discressionless abuse. eg tailgating, inappropriate speed, poor lane discipline, etc.
I know - it’s never going to happen, but it would be the most satisfying way to get rid of the ZB things.
, he seemed realy intent on wiping himself out or maybe he didnt like the benefit of the renault full beam. Anyway when way when the long awaited letter drops on the mat i’ll just pay the fine and carry on trying to keep me head down 
I suggest you do the same 
which has nothing to do with road safety, but is a group made up from Public transport unions and environmental groups.
I reckon you only get caught speeding to get your subs back. 
although i hav’nt got the NIP through yet 