M1 50 mph Limit

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Mon 17 May 2010 13:31
M1 50 mph Limit - veryoldbear

Today's gripe:

That tedious bit of the M1 seems to be finished but the 50 mph limits are still in place. This is deeply annoying particularly as the regular HGV boys come boring up it at 60 mph, bullying and tail-gating.

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Mon 17 May 2010 21:43
M1 50 mph Limit - Honestjohn

I noticed that a couple of weekends ago. What's going on? Unfortunately there is now a new 50mph gauntlet north of Luton that seems to go on forever. If heading south, then west of London it's worth taking the A43/M40 diversion that also avoids the M25 50 gauntlet.

HJ

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Mon 17 May 2010 21:52
M1 50 mph Limit - oilrag

I came through this lot a couple of days ago after crossing parts of Germany at around 100mph. I`m surprised more people don`t nod off at the wheel in these 50mph sections.

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Mon 17 May 2010 23:48
M1 50 mph Limit - Berisford

The 50mph limit is to remain until 'final' signal works have been completed but the entire section will be traffic managed with a 'variable' speed limited.

So, 50mph most of the time then!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/8664669.stm

Edited by Berisford on 17/05/2010 at 23:49

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Tue 18 May 2010 09:58
M1 50 mph Limit - veryoldbear

I can live with 50 mph if necessary, but I don't like being bullied by OVLOV's 2 inches from my back bumper.

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Tue 18 May 2010 15:30
M1 50 mph Limit - oilrag

I had a problem with that in Belgium last week. Forced to slow to a limit, through a long roadworks , a truck crept up until it was right on my rear bumper -it seemed only 4ft behind but I couldn`t pull forwards as there was a truck in front.

It then got even nearer followed by by the sound of airbrakes and the front bumper - right in my rear mirror - dipping under braking. It`s horn then sounded and it moved rapidly out into the second lane. I backed right off at this point and it surged past - only to `thank` me for doing so with a left and right of the indicators.

We then all continued in convoy again, at the same speed until the roadworks ended. At which point I took the van up to the regular 80mph cruise.

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Wed 19 May 2010 23:05
M1 50 mph Limit - Honestjohn

In response to Beresford:

So they have improved a motorway that has a 70mph limit before, yet continue to impose a 50mph limit on the improved motorway until they have finished installing a traffic management scheme.

Completely crackpot and the sort of thing the new Minister of Transport Philip Hammond should stamp on straight away, just to prove he has some common sense.

HJ

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Thu 20 May 2010 12:26
M1 50 mph Limit - veryoldbear

In response to Beresford:

So they have improved a motorway that has a 70mph limit before, yet continue to impose a 50mph limit on the improved motorway until they have finished installing a traffic management scheme.

Completely crackpot and the sort of thing the new Minister of Transport Philip Hammond should stamp on straight away, just to prove he has some common sense.

HJ

My gripe exactly. And as all the local HGV boys know its finished they crawl up my exhaust pipe in an attempt to push their way through. I hate it when all I can see in the rear mirror is chrome plating: it makes me slow down to 30 particularly if its an uphill section when I can then accelerate briskly away from Mr Grumpy.

Edited by veryoldbear on 20/05/2010 at 12:32

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Thu 20 May 2010 14:37
M1 50 mph Limit - Honestjohn

Well the new broom has just swept away 3,000 homepack inspectors on the grounds they were nothing more than unnecessary beaurocracy, so next step whatever department it is that is holding up the M1.

HJ

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Thu 20 May 2010 16:56
M1 50 mph Limit - audi dave

More variable speed limits and other restrictive measures to control traffic are coming for sure, regardless of who's in power. There are too many other calls on what money is around for big increases in capacity on the roads, so the best has to be made of what we've got. That means introducing variable speed limits in congestion hotspots.

The issue of HGV's tailgating in areas where there are average speed cameras in my opinion has a lot to do with the fact that they have tacho's connected to speedometers which are a lot more accurate than most car speedos, which almost invariably over-read. So the car drivers doing 50 in a 50 limit are doing less than that, upsetting the lorry driver's who want to go a few mph faster to a "true" 50mph.

Tax the rich.

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Thu 20 May 2010 17:12
M1 50 mph Limit - SteveLee

Will the Tories reinstate their old massive road building programme cancelled by NuLav in 1997? Of course not. Will they admt the crumbling infrastrutures of this once great country are at risk primarily due to the continued population increase which none of us were asked about? Of course not. The Tory party is dead we have three colours of culturally suicidal liberal apologists.

If a lorry tailgates me in road works, I pick a moment when the outside lane is busy then slow down to 20 mph - they soon get the hint. I use my SatNav's speed to set my cruise at the true limit rather than rely on the speedo. Of course you can only go as fast as the vehicle in front!

Edited by SteveLee on 20/05/2010 at 17:13

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Fri 21 May 2010 14:27
M1 50 mph Limit - Berisford

OK then HJ, to whom did you speak?

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Temporary-50mph-speed-limits-M1-lifted-today/article-2186074-detail/article.html

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Fri 21 May 2010 15:08
M1 50 mph Limit - Group B

Used to commute daily up that stretch of the M1 but luckily dont have to frequent it much these days.

In my car at a speedo indicated 55mph (51-52mph on sat nav and on trip computer average speed display), I'm usually able to pass the trucks and cant remember ever being tailgated by one.

Edited by Group B on 21/05/2010 at 15:10

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Fri 21 May 2010 17:36
M1 50 mph Limit - concrete

I have had to use this stretch frequently for the past few months. It is so annoying, especially at 4 0r 5am to stick to 50 when you have the M1 to yourself. For weeks now I've been playing 'spot the workman' and guess what?-nobody around. The rationale is that the speed limit is to protect the workforce, fine, no objection to that. The real pigheadedness of the situation is the limit is still imposed at night, weekends and bank holidays when no one is working, so 'safety' cannot be used as an excuse for this stupid excercise, probably too profitable by half so why turn the cameras off when no one is working. I usually follow the HGV vehicles through the stretch, their tachographs are much more accurate than my speedometer and they don't want to get fined for speeding either. I would love to King for a week, I would start a Ministry of Commonsense and a Ministry for Banging Heads Together whenever a situation like this arose. Concrete

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Fri 21 May 2010 20:07
M1 50 mph Limit - Honestjohn

Hey, Beresford. Another victory for common sense.

We're actually starting to win.

HJ

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Sat 22 May 2010 20:04
M1 50 mph Limit - boggles

It's announced in today's local paper, that the 50 mph limit, from junction 25 to junction 28 is removed. I wonder what lane the "middle lane hoggers" will use now?

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Sun 23 May 2010 23:10
M1 50 mph Limit - R2-CMax

It's announced in today's local paper, that the 50 mph limit, from junction 25 to junction 28 is removed. I wonder what lane the "middle lane hoggers" will use now?

Easy. There are now two "middle lanes".

Anyhow, I came through both ways on Friday and can confirm the limits had been lifted between 25 & 27 at least. On the way up, myself and apparently many other motorists so used to it automatically slowed down to <60 on the N/B approach to J25, but then I spotted the "cameras not in use" signs on the speed cameras and absence of 50mph signage. Hurrah.

However, because "we're sorry to tell you there's no money" [(c) 2010 Liam Byrne MP], the likelihood of hard shoulder running J24/25 has receded. But then the much needed solution at J21 (southbound) has been kicked into the long grass, and I am sure there will be pressure to defer the much-needed A453 upgrade from Clifton to J24

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Mon 24 May 2010 18:26
M1 50 mph Limit - audi dave

What often happens on road jobs is that the safety fencing is taken down or is not finished at the end of a working shift.

In this wonderful age when someone has to be to blame for everything - the speed limit is left on because below 50mph no safety fence has to be provided.

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