Derek Bennett, lower speed limits the wrong solution.Anyone who has been driving since before the introduction of the plethora of ‘Big Brother’ speed cameras and other roadside entrapment equipment used these days, will remember happily bowling along many roads at the maximum allowed speed of 60 mph, or many other wide suburban roads at 40 mph where we now crawl along at much reduced speeds dodging the aforementioned speed cameras.
The question I ask, is why in these modern times, when our vehicles are much safer due to better braking systems, suspension, tyres and much else, are we forced to crawl everywhere at a snail’s pace in our safer cars than we did many years ago in vehicles that do not have today’s handling and safety features?
Everywhere we go speed limits have been reduced, wide fast roads that were once unlimited are now set at 40 mph – or even lower in some cases, 20 mph limits which are virtually impossible to drive at have replaced many 30 mph limits – and so it goes on.
Has this made our roads safer and less accident prone? Sadly no. The reason which has inspired this posting today is due to two incidents. Under normal circumstances when leaving home in the mornings I stop at my corner shop to buy the Torygraph, have a quick glance at the headlines then turn left onto the Sutton Road in Walsall near my home and head into Birmingham. This morning, however, I had to get some groceries for my father-in-law and take to him before driving in, so I turned right onto the main road which up until a week or so everyone had, for as long as I can remember, been driving quite safely at 40 mph, but now we all dawdle along at the new, reduced speed of 30 mph.
The reduced speed limit which has also come complete with state of the art flashing signs was introduced, so Walsall Council informed us, to make the road safer as ‘speed kills’ – or so the roadside signs say. Within a short distance of joining the Sutton Road and its new crawler speed limit, along with other drivers we ground to a halt due to, guess what – an accident.
The Sutton Road, you see, has two accident blacks-spots which have nothing to do with speed, more to do with driver frustration being stuck, waiting to pull out onto the Sutton Road, into a continuous but free moving line of traffic with no one willing to allow waiting drivers to pull out. The waiting drivers seeing the back up of traffic behind them then take chances and this morning the chance between a van and a car at the junction with Longwood Lane resulted in a bump – and no one was speeding.
Like many roads that councils all around the country have decided are too fast, and have had their speed limits cut, coincidently with the erection of speed cameras, they have not tackled the real problem of why there are accidents; they just thoughtlessly decide ‘speed kills’ and implement the wrong solution. This is the case regarding the Sutton Road by my home, which will still see accidents occurring because the real accident prone areas have been ignored and the wrong solution by a thick council implemented.
Like most roads this road did not need a speed reduction with the frustration and time delay it creates, it needed traffic lights in two places along the road to help drivers pull out onto this busy main road, the traffic lights themselves also ensure that speed remains under control.
The other incident which set me off was after I had been to my father-in-law and dropped of his groceries and had a little chat. I took my usual route from his into Birmingham and turned onto a road which has speed bumps spaced out along its length. At this point a young chap in a black BWM (why do all idiots drive BMW’s?) was doing his best to inspect the inside of my exhaust pipe. On a road that was littered with parked vehicles, speed humps and chicanes, it was obvious he wanted to get get past me, which he did in the most dangerous place forcing an oncoming vehicle to brake, and what happened, he then had to start all over again trying to get past the cars in front again until eventually he pulled out in front of some oncoming vehicles at a roundabout. In his case speed was not a danger – just a lack of brains – maybe he works for Walsall Council!
The question I ask, is why in these modern times, when our vehicles are much safer due to better braking systems, suspension, tyres and much else, are we forced to crawl everywhere at a snail’s pace in our safer cars than we did many years ago in vehicles that do not have today’s handling and safety features?
Everywhere we go speed limits have been reduced, wide fast roads that were once unlimited are now set at 40 mph – or even lower in some cases, 20 mph limits which are virtually impossible to drive at have replaced many 30 mph limits – and so it goes on.
Has this made our roads safer and less accident prone? Sadly no. The reason which has inspired this posting today is due to two incidents. Under normal circumstances when leaving home in the mornings I stop at my corner shop to buy the Torygraph, have a quick glance at the headlines then turn left onto the Sutton Road in Walsall near my home and head into Birmingham. This morning, however, I had to get some groceries for my father-in-law and take to him before driving in, so I turned right onto the main road which up until a week or so everyone had, for as long as I can remember, been driving quite safely at 40 mph, but now we all dawdle along at the new, reduced speed of 30 mph.
The reduced speed limit which has also come complete with state of the art flashing signs was introduced, so Walsall Council informed us, to make the road safer as ‘speed kills’ – or so the roadside signs say. Within a short distance of joining the Sutton Road and its new crawler speed limit, along with other drivers we ground to a halt due to, guess what – an accident.
The Sutton Road, you see, has two accident blacks-spots which have nothing to do with speed, more to do with driver frustration being stuck, waiting to pull out onto the Sutton Road, into a continuous but free moving line of traffic with no one willing to allow waiting drivers to pull out. The waiting drivers seeing the back up of traffic behind them then take chances and this morning the chance between a van and a car at the junction with Longwood Lane resulted in a bump – and no one was speeding.
Like many roads that councils all around the country have decided are too fast, and have had their speed limits cut, coincidently with the erection of speed cameras, they have not tackled the real problem of why there are accidents; they just thoughtlessly decide ‘speed kills’ and implement the wrong solution. This is the case regarding the Sutton Road by my home, which will still see accidents occurring because the real accident prone areas have been ignored and the wrong solution by a thick council implemented.
Like most roads this road did not need a speed reduction with the frustration and time delay it creates, it needed traffic lights in two places along the road to help drivers pull out onto this busy main road, the traffic lights themselves also ensure that speed remains under control.
The other incident which set me off was after I had been to my father-in-law and dropped of his groceries and had a little chat. I took my usual route from his into Birmingham and turned onto a road which has speed bumps spaced out along its length. At this point a young chap in a black BWM (why do all idiots drive BMW’s?) was doing his best to inspect the inside of my exhaust pipe. On a road that was littered with parked vehicles, speed humps and chicanes, it was obvious he wanted to get get past me, which he did in the most dangerous place forcing an oncoming vehicle to brake, and what happened, he then had to start all over again trying to get past the cars in front again until eventually he pulled out in front of some oncoming vehicles at a roundabout. In his case speed was not a danger – just a lack of brains – maybe he works for Walsall Council!
2 comments:
On the money again Derek. Rushing, frustartion, lack of attention and inappropriate speed (i.e: in the wrong place) causes accidents.
I forget who it was who suggested it - a really low tech, highly effective, speed-limiting device for every car.
Ban seatbelts and have a large spike in the centre of the steering wheel, pointing at the driver.
Psst! Don't tell Brussels!
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