tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post7732466879439685670..comments2024-02-26T18:40:35.032+10:30Comments on prophet of bloom: reducing speed limits won't save livesindia flinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510066677833871579noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post-28916325305793638042009-10-09T06:42:21.774+10:302009-10-09T06:42:21.774+10:30martine i could put up with it [and do already] fo...martine i could put up with it [and do already] for seven mile stretches, particularly if there are schools, houses and dogwalkers about<br /><br />but the limits they want to impose are on open country roads that go for miles and miles.<br />at present if i want to catch an early morning flight to teach interestate i have to get up at 3 am, drive 2 hours, check in, fly out at 6am<br /><br />if they slap on this limit i'll be crawling slowly to the airport in the dark and having to get up even earlier. sigh.<br /><br />our driving conditions are very different to those in Britain. those few single lane roads we have are gravel and nobody in their right mind drives fast on them anyway<br /><br />Camellia, i feel for you. the authorities here in Australia would have us become a nanny state. you can't ride a bicycle without wearing plastic shell on your head and they even tried to make the jackaroos [that's cowboys where you are] up north wear plastic helmets when mustering cattle<br />until<br />they began fainting and falling from their horses because their heads were getting too hot.<br />go figure <br />soon they'll have us driving at a walking pace with a servant carrying a red flag in front, just as was done in the [very] old days...india flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510066677833871579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post-60703133705413225122009-10-09T01:09:46.929+10:302009-10-09T01:09:46.929+10:30They recently reduced the limit between us in More...They recently reduced the limit between us in Moreton in Marsh and Chipping Norton (where my daughter goes to drama group), to 50 MPH, placing 27 new signs along the 7 mile route, approximately one every 130 yards. <br />How fast can you currently travel? it seems to me that 80 KMH, which is about 50 MPH is a reasonable speed.<br />much love Martinemartinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14260048849955077472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post-16546035509449495502009-10-08T23:14:03.177+10:302009-10-08T23:14:03.177+10:30I got two speeding tickets within a month. Neither...I got two speeding tickets within a month. Neither time did I feel as if I were driving dangerously, and simply wasn't aware of the speed limit. I seem to drive the speed limit in many places without being aware of the speed limit, because that is what feels safe. Still, I am now aware of the speed limit and set my cruise control for the limit. There are two places I travel that acually feel unsafe at the low speeds. In one place many cars pass me on a two-lane road because NOBODY DRIVES THAT SLOW THERE. I would think the comparisons between 110 km and the current speed would speak loudly to authorities, but authorities, they often just don't listen. Gook luck.Camelliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350737352071160386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post-30789155769592667112009-10-08T22:44:09.382+10:302009-10-08T22:44:09.382+10:30we are talking about long stretches of straight an...we are talking about long stretches of straight and/or gently curved roads without pedestrians...and i have far better things to do than shuffle along at 80km an hour. i think the answer is not reducing speed limits, it's more in improving driver education.<br />i'd happily walk but the 88km to town would take quite a while. and frankly, moving to the city isn't an option either. the maximum speed limit used to be 110km and guess what? the road toll was actually lower.india flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510066677833871579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9053562711351336005.post-87756513139780363082009-10-08T21:21:44.674+10:302009-10-08T21:21:44.674+10:30Without knowing the road and how built up it is i ...Without knowing the road and how built up it is i can't really comment - if there's lots of houses, regular pedestrian action etc then maybe road speeds do need to come down in appropriate places - as you have a better chance of surviving being hit at a slower speed, but if its open country???<br /><br />I'm not convinced that slower speeds will neccessarily lead to increased accidents and frustration and congestion - but there needs to be a wider scheme to tackle these problems. Why are we always in such a rush to get from a to b anyway?Don't Feed The Pixieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05380146661526476947noreply@blogger.com