Just on the off chance!
A big thankyou to the Astra driver who flashed me yesterday to warn of a mobile speed camera in the Buckinghamshire* area! I was doing a little bit naughty 50 in a 30! The camera was well hidden by trees!
* Not saying the more acurate area due to obvious reasons!
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Was it an urban 30 by any chance? If so, would you like to explain your complete disregard for the safety of everyone around you?
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Gordon, ST Driver. Say no more.
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your complete disregard for the safety of everyone around you?
... nay, your evil murderous recklessness, your smirking desire to massacre innocent babies, pregnant women and kittens, your crazed disregard of common humanity, your world-dominating ambitions, your probable connection with organised crime in its worst manifestations, your ambition to live on immoral earnings, your (choke, gasp)...
Edited by Lud on 13/06/2008 at 16:23
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We disagree on this Lud. Doing 120 on the motorway (a similar % increase in speed) wouldn't bother me at all in the right conditions. 50 through town should get a lengthy jail sentence IMHO.
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We disagree on this Lud.
We do. Not absolutely, but largely.
Edited by Lud on 13/06/2008 at 16:28
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Can anyone, hand on heart, swear to never having exceeded the 30 mph speed limit by 20 mph?
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Absolutely hand on heart, never, not even close, in no circumstances. At all.
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I have, on the other hand, done 120 on the motorway in my irresponsible youth. And 134 on the Autobahn last year, which was quite fun.
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There are plenty of 30mph that were 60mph before Labour started messing about with the roads. All that changed was we got an even more horrible government, it didn't suddenly become dangerous overnight.
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I was quite specific about checking if it was urban.
If not, and is one of those stupid limits in the middle of nowhere that you get on dual carriageways sometimes (there's a very stupid 40 near Stafford I can think of for one) then fair play. I'd not break it by that much personally, but only because I don't want to get caught.
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I was quite specific about checking if it was urban.
How, exactly, do you define 'urban'? In my experience, the difference between 'urban' and 'non-urban' is not easily defined.
I know of a stretch of road which has a 40 mph limit on it. My own personal opinion is that it is usually safe to do 50 on it. But my understanding is that it will, in the near future, be reduced to 30 mph. And if you ask "Is it urban or rural?", then I would have to ask "How do you define 'urban'?"
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The last half mile of the Hammersmith flyover before becoming the Marylebone Road is a ludicrous 30, no pedestrians, no oncoming traffic, no danger, nobody sticks to it.
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Hammersmith flyover before becoming the Marylebone Road
>>
Shorely shome mishtake?
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The road is on the approach to a town, before actually being in the town itself. The road is straight and wide if little undulating. Until recently was a 40 MPH road anyway. Like most roads in the area, the speed limits of most roads have been dropped by 10 MPH except the 30 MPH areas. And I knew there would be someone on here who has never exceeded the speed limit!
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I didn't say I'd never exceeded the speed limit, but I've never done 50 in a 30.
I shouldn't have risen really, but I saw some astonishingly stupid hot hatch driving round Lichfield last night, plenty of 50+ in 30 limits that are completely justified. I have a friend who is paraplegic because of *inappropriate* speed, and it winds me up.
Edited by Gordon M on 13/06/2008 at 16:39
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Ok then,
1. The 50 was my speedo reading, in reality about 46-47 according to Sat Nav.
2. Until about 6-7 months ago road was 40MPH.
3. The road hasn't changed in the slightest (no new housing for instance)
4. All I was doing is thanking the person who did save me from being caught.
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Odd - I have yet to see an ST Focus (assume yours is a Focus and not a Fiesta) driven anything other than with impeccable restraint and completely within the speed limit by un-chav individuals. That includes the dayglo orange ones and those with the optional side stripes! Perhaps the sub 20mpg has got something to do with it...
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Mine is the Mondeo estate and it is the ST TDCI. Defo not chav! Very understated in Blue with no stripes. The only outrageous thing is the little puff of soot when I put my foot down!
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>>The only outrageous thing is the little puff of soot when I put my foot down
Little?
I can't forget 'the cloud of smoke seen in the rear view mirror, lit up by the headlights of the car behind at night' of any diesel I've driven ;>)
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Mine is the Mondeo estate and it is the ST TDCI. Defo not chav! Very understated in Blue with no stripes. The only outrageous thing is the little puff of soot when I put my foot down!
Depends on your definition of Chav! ;-)
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If 50 was a safe speed, then good for you. Otherwise, I hope you eventually get caught.
But how can you do 50 in a 30 without realising it? Either the sign posting is bad, or you, hohum, might need to be more alert.
That said, I have done 40 in a 30 and nearly been caught by a camera when I missed the signs which were placed at the entry to a roundabout, where I was paying attention to other drivers in order to get in the right lane, and avoid collisions. Stupid signage IMO.
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Yes I am lucky to have never been caught speeding. I was fully aware that I was going faster than I should. All I was saying was thankyou to someone who helped me out.
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Having read and essentially agreed with the original posting, I can reach the following conclusions:
1. If a flash of lights makes a driver slow down, then safety is increased, accidents reduced, lives ultimately saved. So it is incumbent on every one of us to flash a car whenever we see one going too fast for the conditions, whether a speeding offence is in progress or not.
2. Since speed cameras are *only* ever placed at strategic blackspots, in order to achieve (... see 1. above) then ultimately with a combination of common sense, improving driver standards and the reciprocally helpful actions of fellow motorists, speed cameras will ultimately fail to catch any motorists and will become obsolete.
3. If flashing a motorist prevents the commission of a crime, perhaps I am guilty of obstructing a police officer, sorry, GATSO, in the execution of its duty. Or perverting the course of justice. Or treason. Whatever. Well, I say to that "Prove it!" I once warned Great Aunt Mabel that her library book was almost overdue and she duly returned it to the library and avoided a fine. It's a fair cop, come and get me, I await the knock at the door, rattle of the letterbox and the prison ship to take me away...
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Having read and ... blah blah ... Or perverting the course of justice. Or treason. Whatever. Well I say to that "Prove it!"
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The Plod tried that here. Thrown out of court.
The judge, in his verdict, pointed out that the aim had been achived - ie slowing traffic down. The fact that Plod was just trying to make a few buckaroonies was brought up. Had said 'flasher'been nicked, it would have been a sad day for the local motoring community, where a flash, especially on those wide-open-space roads is considered good manners.
I recall sitting through aan area en route to Johannesburg (1300kms away) when a very quick BMW came up behind me. I blipped the brake pedal a few times, and as he passed, made 'i'm taking your picture' gestures at him. He tucked in ahead of me, slowed down to NSL and lo-and-behold, the villains were lurking in the bushes a mile ahead.
As he floored it away, he gave me a cheery 'thanks' with his hazard lights .
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there's a stretch of road near me that used to be NSL, then went down to 40mph and is now only 30mph
it is a ludicrously low limit for the road...really can't see why. No shops, no schools, wide grass verges, no pavement even, as the pavement is at the back of the grass verge
many, many people exceed the limit daily....at 0500 hours it is perfectly safe to do 60mph which is twice the limit, but what the speed limit on that road used to be
this sort of limit brings the whole system into disrepute and encourages people to break the limit, because 30mph down this road is painful
there are however, places where 30mph is pushing it...and personally i'd like to see people publicly flogged for overdoing it past schools when the kids are about...at those times 20mph is plenty, if that
anyone's speed should be adjusted for the circumstances..if that means at times going up a bit, as long as they go down a bit when it's needed, i don't have a problem with it...and think common sense should kick in
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We've got the "20 is plenty" areas where I live - fantastic idea I say, however I seem to be a bit of a pain in the rear for many people as I stick to 20 in the areas so marked. They are only about 800 metres in length - so no big deal - and in seriously residential areas with playgrounds, schools and crossings in, so clearly in the right area for the right reason.
Let's hope they spread.
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- fantastic idea I say however I seem to be a bit of a pain in the rear for manypeople as I stick to 20 in the areas so marked... and in seriously residential areas with playgrounds schools and crossings in so clearly in the right area for the right reason.>> Let's hope they spread.
i'd agree when there's kids around or lots of pedestrians ...but not at 2100 on a bright sunny summer evening... or 0500.. etc, etc....at those times they're a pain in the rear
and that's my point, if they were only in use for certain times of the day, then most law abiding citizens may well comply...but if they're used in a heavy handed clumsy fashion, then many will ignore them...which brings the whole system into disrepute
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I got stopped by the police for speeding in 30 zone [years ago]. I was doing 32 [the nice polis man told me] and he let me off with a warning and made me promise never to do it again. And I havn't - honest.
screwtape
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is it not equally as annoying when people are driving ridiculously slowly on a motorway?
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oh dear fox83,
I think you'll start something with that wholly innocent comment.
Personally i'd agree with you....but if past threads are anything to go by, there'll be a few choice replies
the favourite will be the old 'speed limits are a limit not a target'. Some of the time I wish people would use them as a target, as after all they've often been already set for the average mimser and will have taken into account numerous other hazards.
by the way, as you're so new... the word 'mimser' has been stolen from Lud who occasionally makes me laugh out loud... having a way with his expressions
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limit not a target? personally i've always thought of it as a target! am i the only person who gets frustrated at sitting behind the person doing 30 in a 40 and 50 in a 70? it winds me up.
you're all making me laugh. everyone is so funny!
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Fox83,
Don?t think you should be criticising anyone?s driving after your story of hitting a stationary vehicle and asking was it your fault. Now that's funny
Carse
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Seems to be quite a lot of abuse directed at poor old "st driver". I would wager that if his name had been "motability car driver" the mods would have jumped on many of the posters.
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well that was just uncalled for. i am entitled to my opinion as much as u are.
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