'Elephant racing' banned

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 11:29
'Elephant racing' banned - sooty123

Hgvs being banned from overtaking has been extended.

The latest permanent ban is introduced on two sections of the A1M in Co Durham, which joins two other no-overtaking zones on the M42 near Birmingham and two sections of the A14 in Northamptonshire near Cold Ashby.



Three other areas are being trialled. Travel times for non-hgvs were up 17% and hgvs times weren't adversely affected.

Thoughts?

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 13:04
'Elephant racing' banned - pyruse

It's a good idea, but last time I was on the 'no overtaking' bit of the A14, there were two trucks side by side for 5 miles or so while one struggled to overtake the other.

So unless this rule is enforced, it's a bit of a waste of time.

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 13:56
'Elephant racing' banned - Sofa Spud

So now HGV drivers will be forced to stay behind someone towing a rickety horsebox with a clapped-out Land Rover at 25 mph in lane 1.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 07/04/2010 at 14:00

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 17:47
'Elephant racing' banned - pyruse

The Land Rover can pull out into lane 2 to let the HGVs by in lane 1 if there's a gap.

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 18:33
'Elephant racing' banned - mk124

Would'nt the HGV then be undertaking the Land Rover - Another, sadly illegal, move.

I go about 50-60 MPH on the motorway, and the number of cars that tailgate me in lane one is phenominal. Typically they:

1. Are waiting to exit the motorway at the next juction (typically 2 miles away)

2. decide to tailgate me in lane 1 because overtaking me does not seem to occure to them.

(Either way) the point I am trying to get at is I am often sorely tempted to move into lane 2 just to let the offending car pass in lane 1.

The rule should be HVG's can overtake other verchicles - provided they do not take miles to do it. As for these new 'trials' they are a bad idea - The police should focus on on drivers who create an obstruction on a public highway, if any driver takes miles to overtake they should be charged with this offence - Banning HGV's from overtaking, is prehapps a too blunt a wepon to achieve this aim.

Unfortunatly it all comes down to easy enforcment. It is very easy to see when an HGV is in lane 2 of a dual carrageway, and the law can be made very clear in this case. It is relativly difficult to spot drivers who create an obstruction on a public highway by proforming an overtaking manuvre that lasts for miles on end - how an earth are the police going to monitor that?

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 18:58
'Elephant racing' banned - b308

Common sense works both ways... if it were not for some HGV drivers overtaking at others at ridiculously small speed diferentials then they wouldn't have to consider introducing such schemes...

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 19:39
'Elephant racing' banned - nb857

here's an idea, why not remove the speed limiters from LGVs?

We keep beeing brain washed that speed kills, but LGV's can't even reach the NSL, never mind exceed it and they crash all the time.

I once followed a Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood along the interstate into Utah at a steady 85mph. Nice

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Wed 7 Apr 2010 22:22
'Elephant racing' banned - Westpig

I once followed a Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood along the interstate into Utah at a steady 85mph. Nice

I once drove down through Texas from Houston towards Brownsville in what has to date been the most rain I have ever seen descend at any one time...and the lorries continued passing at 70mph.......Not Nice, not at all Nice.... it was either stop or match their pace, because they'd catch you up suddenly from behind, which was as frightening as worrying about hitting something in front.

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 11:16
'Elephant racing' banned - Sofa Spud

Quote:...""We keep beeing brain washed that speed kills, but LGV's can't even reach the NSL, never mind exceed it and they crash all the time. ""

I don't think many people would want the speed limits for LGVs to be raised! Speed does kill, everyone knows that, it's the people who say otherwise who are brainwashed! It's all to do with kinetic energy! The force of impact goes up with the square of speed.

Kinetic energy = 1/2 mass x (velocity squared) ....... if I remember rightly!

Quote:...."I once followed a Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood along the interstate into Utah at a steady 85mph. Nice""

I was once tailgated by White Freightliner for miles on the A47 in Norfolk. It was a terrifying experience - I even had to force my way past parked cars in a village at well over the 30 mph limit otherwise the idiot would have rammed me - he was about 2 ft behind my bumper at 60 mph. It was like that film 'Duel', almost. I've been an HGV driver myself, so I know that the idiot in the White Freightliner was driving extremely dangerously.


Edited by Sofa Spud on 08/04/2010 at 11:23

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 11:25
'Elephant racing' banned - pyruse

What I don't understand is why when two trucks are side by side like this the truck on the inside doesn't take his foot off the accelerator for a few seconds to let the other guy by?

Many truck drivers seem only to drive at whatever speed their speed governor lets them.

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 11:48
'Elephant racing' banned - Avant

A lot of them have their journeys timed, and would probably say that if they kept having to do that, they would get into trouble for falling behind schedule.

It's money at the root of it, I'm afraid. The issue is further complicated by some companies trying to save fuel by adjusting the speed lmiter downwards on their lorries.

It's important not to blame the truckers themselves.

Edited by Avant on 08/04/2010 at 11:51

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 14:55
'Elephant racing' banned - Westpig

It's money at the root of it, I'm afraid.

It's important not to blame the truckers themselves.

Balderdash.........It's pig ignorance at the root of it. I have no doubt whatsoever that modern trucking has enormous difficulties with drivers being leant on to achieve...and that at times it can be seemingly impossible for the driver to do so

but...lifting off your throttle temporarily would cost seconds, if not 1 whole minute..and that is all it would take.

In other words driving to the conditions, sensibly...they wouldn't fail to stop at a zebra crossing to save 3 minutes, so why commit other offences like the 'forever overtake'..... (which is already an offence anyway, S3 RTA Driving Without Reasonable Consideration For Other Road Users).

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 15:26
'Elephant racing' banned - pyruse

It's important not to blame the truckers themselves.

Why? There are bad truck drivers, just as there are bad car drivers.

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Thu 8 Apr 2010 19:48
'Elephant racing' banned - DP

The Northbound A34 near the Ridgeway has a similar scheme on one of the long hills, currently on a trial basis. Both times I've driven along it since it was introduced, it seems to be being widely ignored by truckers, and not enforced by the police.

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Fri 9 Apr 2010 11:42
'Elephant racing' banned - 832ark

Would'nt the HGV then be undertaking the Land Rover - Another, sadly illegal, move.

I go about 50-60 MPH on the motorway, and the number of cars that tailgate me in lane one is phenominal. Typically they:

1. Are waiting to exit the motorway at the next juction (typically 2 miles away)

2. decide to tailgate me in lane 1 because overtaking me does not seem to occure to them.

(Either way) the point I am trying to get at is I am often sorely tempted to move into lane 2 just to let the offending car pass in lane 1.

The rule should be HVG's can overtake other verchicles - provided they do not take miles to do it. As for these new 'trials' they are a bad idea - The police should focus on on drivers who create an obstruction on a public highway, if any driver takes miles to overtake they should be charged with this offence - Banning HGV's from overtaking, is prehapps a too blunt a wepon to achieve this aim.

Unfortunatly it all comes down to easy enforcment. It is very easy to see when an HGV is in lane 2 of a dual carrageway, and the law can be made very clear in this case. It is relativly difficult to spot drivers who create an obstruction on a public highway by proforming an overtaking manuvre that lasts for miles on end - how an earth are the police going to monitor that?

If you're genuinely travelling at 50mph on a motorway then may I suggest that its you who's creating an obstruction? Also that can't be very pleasant being continuously tailgated and overtaken by HGVs which you obviously would be at that speed.

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Fri 9 Apr 2010 20:12
'Elephant racing' banned - NVH
Just back from the continent.
I read an article where this point was judged on appeal in court.

A lorry overtake should 45-50 seconds at most.
Anything above this was unreasonable and therefore an offence.
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