A very good evening to you all
I've noticed that on the sliproads onto the M74 in Scotland there are '70' signs rather than 'nsl' signs. Why would this be?
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System of street lighting on the slip? Which could mean 30 mph as a restricted road.
70's put up to show not a restricted road although they normally put up NSL repeaters?
dvd
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I've seen this also - plenty of '60' signs on the single carriageway roads also.
I think it's related to the view that some 'advanced' drivers view the nsl limit as being less restrictive than it really is. Many times I've heard - I'll stick to the posted 30s, 40s and 50s, but drive according to the road in the NSL.
in England, we lose 10MPH of the limit when they post an actual limit - so dual carriageways get a 60 limit and single carriageways get a 50 limit (or worse).
Once again, Scotland shows mores sense.
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Perhaps it's been decided that (technically) slip roads aren't "roads" and that new rules regarding speed limit signage can be applied to them. Just guessing.
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L\'escargot.
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So that they can change the NSL (up or down) without needing to replace the signs. You know how much governments dislike wasting money.
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Because a lot of drivers are blissfully unaware of NSL for different roads, so the government's doing the thinking for them.
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I'll agree with Greg except to say that some drivers are *scarily* unaware of the NSL.
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The main Scottish roads have had "70" road signs for as long as I can remember.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Our local Edinburgh by-pass has 70mph signs (dual carriageway), yet there are nsl signs as you come down the slip roads off it.
But better than that - there's a stretch of road that has 40mph AND nsl signs on it - and it's a dual carriageway!
But I reckon the reason Scotland tends to show the speed limit for the road is for the number of foreign visitors who cannot compute kph to mph and just cannot get to grips with imperial measures. What really foxes our visitors are our single-track "A" roads, with designated passing places.
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I also have to agree with Greg.
Far too many people think that the NSL on a dual-carriageway is 60mph (and that on motorways it is 70 mph!)
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Far too many people think that the NSL on a dual-carriageway is 60mph ........
Yep. A large percentage brake down to 60 when they see the camera on the (dual carriageway) Lincoln bypass.
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L\'escargot.
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when i was in scottyland it was a pleasure to see these 70 signs and all the other clear signs on the roads,why? because i then knew the speed limit and there was no hidden agenda with speed cameras lurking to catch you out
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When I did some advanced biking training with an ex-police instructor, the NSL signs were referred to as GLFs. As in "Go Like Fury" (or something like that). We stuck rigidly to 30s 40s and 50s but made progress on the others.
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As in "Go Like Fury" (or something like that).
Yeah, something like that! ;-)
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Far too many people think that the NSL on a dual-carriageway is 60mph (and that on motorways it is 70 mph!)
Moreover, a lot of people don't know what a dual carriageway is. For example there's a stretch of dual carriageway near me that only has one lane in each direction. It's NSL, so I do 70. Most people linger between 50 and 60, despite the fact that there are clearly 2 separate carriageways.
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The reason for the 70 signs is that these are Special Roads. They aren't motorways but also aren't normal roads to which NSL applies, so need signs for whatever limit they have.
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"For example there's a stretch of dual carriageway near me that only has one lane in each direction. It's NSL, so I do 70"
Can someone explain how a dual carriageway can be only one lane each way? Is that not a single carriageway with a central reservation?
In Bridgend (Wales) there is a "dual carriageway" but no central reservation near the test centre - lots used to get caught out many years ago as it's 30mph. Someone on their test asked the examiner "left or right" when he got to it.... he passed but you can only go left at that point!
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I should add I have never seen a dual carriageway with only a lane in each direction - I know a dual carriageway needs a barrier in the middle.
I've seen single carriageway's with two-lanes each way but never a dual-carriageway with one lane each way.... probabably see three tomorrow now ;-)
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A177 between Stockton-on-Tees and Sedgefield (the bit with the speed cameras in case anyone knows the road). No, it doesn't have to have a barrier, just needs central reservation and it's a dual carriageway by definition - i.e. there are 2 carriageways. This particular stretch of road has a 50 limit on the single-carriageway and a 60 limit on the dual, both of which are obviously reinforced with repeaters as they're not NSL. Proves my point that people generally don't know what a dual carriageway is. Maybe the American expression is better - "divided highway".
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I do not drive that road so cannot comment but confused a bit though....
"Moreover, a lot of people don't know what a dual carriageway is... there's a stretch of dual carriageway near me that only has one lane in each direction. It's NSL, so I do 70."
"A177 between Stockton-on-Tees and Sedgefield.... No, it doesn't have to have a barrier, just needs central reservation and it's a dual carriageway by definition. This particular stretch of road has a 50 limit on the single-carriageway and a 60 limit on the dual"
So is this the road you admit to driving at 70mph or do you have another example where there is a single lane each way dual-carriageway with NSL?
If I read you right I would not personally admit to breaking the limit like that. It's probably safe but been there and got the badge/fine.
I am interested.... still never been done for speeding since first time so curious. Especially as the rod from M6 to the Lakes at times does not have a barrier so is that alwasys 70mph with the protective grass bit? I feel an email to the Highways Agency.... already clarified Xenon HID headlights this year :-)
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The A177 is the best example of the layout as it's quite a long stretch. Yes I do a good 70, slowing to indicated 65 past the camera and it's perfectly safe. The best NSL stretch I can think of is on the A167 at Newton Aycliffe (near the Gretna Green pub). And yes, I do 70 there too.
I'd rather admit to knowingly breaking a speed limit than not knowing what the NSL was on any given road. Not much consolation - "I thought it was 70" when you're on a 4-lane single carriageway (2 each way). I've never had any points on my licence.
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Luck you, new signs near me read 'Duel Carriageway'. Luckily they are outside the ambulance station and hospital!
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Wasn't that how it used to be? My memory from growing up in the 70s, when the M4 in Berkshire was the beginning of a great adventure (!) was that motorway sliproads used to have 70 signs at the entrance. It seemed awfully exciting then - not that our Renault 12 often got much above 55.
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"Can someone explain how a dual carriageway can be only one lane each way? Is that not a single carriageway with a central reservation?"
Its the central resevation which divides the road into two carriageways. That's what dual carriageway means.
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