British Cycling reacts angrily to proposals to increase HGV speed limit

The application of speed limits is a mystery to me, don't forget there was never anything scientific about the 30mph speed limit, it was plucked out of the air. Round here we have multiple speed limits on the same piece of dual carriage way even though there doesn’t appear to be any difference in the circumstances and none of the traffic engineers can explain why.

The safest speed for any piece of road is the speed that 85 percent of drivers would drive at if there was no speed limit. That means raising a speed limit could be beneficial.

Now if you use that but introduce intelligent traffic calming measures, not only will the speeds reduce but so will the accident rate. See the efforts of the traffic engineer the late Hans Monderman in spectacular accident rate reductions.

I agree with raising the speed limit for HGVs because of the accidents you get from car drivers trying to overtake, this happens when any vehicle is travelling too slowly for the conditions.

In my opinion the best way to reduce accidents is for mandatory re-education courses for all road users every so often and that includes cyclists who run red lights and travel at night with dark clothing and no lights! But let’s face it when you have so many drivers who haven’t passed their test, have no insurance or MOT, no matter what you do you will still have accidents.

I cycle as much as I am able, have a motor home and a motor cycle and am sometimes allowed to drive my wife’s MG midget and I have passed the IAM test.

I must get the hang of this quote thingy !

Just because the speed limit for HGVs is increased does not mean that all lorry drivers are going to drive at the limit if the road conditions are such that a lesser speed is safer. Its not often a lorry can safely travel in built areas at 30 mph. Some of us are also cyclists and have no problem sitting behind fellow cyclists until it is safe to overtake leaving enough space so as not to cause any problems to the rider. As the government statistics state most HGVs don't abide by the 40 or 50 speed limits for the class of vehicle. I try to but this causes lots of frustration to car drivers who must overtake often dangerously. We are all road users and we are all responsible for the safety of each other. Even cyclist have that responsiblity.

So, erm, let me get this straight.

A significant percentage of lorry traffic breaks the speed limit. So, shall we:

1. Enforce the law, or

2. Raise the speed limit. After all, it's "unfair" on the others, apparently.

I really don't know where to start with this; it's beyond self parody.

of Worcester!

Using the same rational, I don't know why there was such a fuss about Armstrong.

Surely the authorities should have made EPO legal because the majority of riders appeared to have been using it and were gaining an advantage over those that were not.

It's the same precedent, surely ?

Absoloute madness - the DFT are saying that most HGV's travel quicker than the current limit, so what's the point.

Does that mean that if we all drive on the motorway at 90 mph, eventually the speed limit will be raised?

Does anybody else remember a government slogan called "Speed Kills"?

I dispair.

By the way, the current weight limit for HGV's in this country is 44 tonne. Some EU countries have higher limits. There is a move to raise the UK limit as DFT see it as a way of reducing the number of vehicles on the road. Larger payload = less trucks.

Great, so if 44 tonne is not dangerous enough when travelling at 40 mph, let's make it heavier and allow it to travel faster.

Ooohh, I could crush a grape.

Madness

So increasing the speed of a lorry reduces fuel consumption, this after it has been pointed out that 20 mph in built up areas is more economic fuel wise.

Quote:

the DfT says that according to the freight industry, the proposals would help stimulate economic growth through shorter journey times, reducing congestion and fuel costs and also making the roads safer by reducing the number of collisions involving vehicles overtaking HGVs.

Are these guys on crack??? Seriously, some of those people at the DoT are on some really strong drugs.

Correction Martin G - on a typical 7.3m single carriageway road it is not possible for an HGV to safely overtake a cyclist with oncoming traffic.

For any vehicle to travel at over 40mph on a basic 'old standards' 7.3m wide carriageway is so deangerous that in many areas the local councils impose a blanket 40mph speed limit. Given that the width of vehicle permitted to operate without a Special Traffic Order or STGO in set categories, is 2.55m and rear view mirrors extend perhaps 0.3m beyond that on either side, that leaves a miniscule clearance when 2 HGV's requiring a combined static envelope of 6.3 metres meet on a single carriageway road factor in the dynamic envelope and even at 40mph you have the 2 vehicles closing on each other at 80mph with a high probability of overlapping trajectories - pure insanity designed in, with the DfT proposing to raise this closing speed to up to 120mph!

My response to DfT consultation is that they should REDUCE the speed limits for other vehicles to 40mph so that all motorised traffic on a typical single carriageway road is travelling at the same speed. This would vastly improve the safety for all users travelling on rural roads.

There would then be conditions where a better road geometry and width have been provided by 'improvements' and a higher speed limit of 50mph or 60mph might be permitted

Never mind just cyclists car drivers should also be against this so why no comment from the AA , RAC etc?

I submitted my response last week, we need to knock this on the head, we seem to be moving down a do what you like attitude with practically zero application of current regulation and proposals to water down those regulations. This is to my mind a political attitude of de-regulation and non enforcement across all walks of life which can only mean a poorer quality of life for the vulnerable.