Welsh roads switching to 20mph

[rocketonarail]

One more effect of introducing unworkable / unpopular / ill conceived traffic laws , is that all you achieve is a disrespect for traffic laws in general ...... If the average person thinks one particular law is aimed unfairly at him , then he will do his best to ignore it at every possible opportunity .......... This then fosters an attitude of disrespect for traffic laws in general ....... It degrades the whole concept of an individual complying with the law by consent , and instead creates a situation where the individual is forced to comply .......

 

[Max]

Inevitable outcome of democracy - more individual ‘freedom’ requires more controls. In NZ we don’t want lack of access to a vehicle to disadvantage people, so we have programs to help the inadequate to get a licence. Because we lower the bar here, we need all the ‘Vision Zero’ crap to slow the rate of road toll increase. And the police and politicians wonder why it isn’t going down.

 

[rocketonarail]

More and more city folk don't have personnal vehicles. If they need one, they rent one.
A lot don't have horses either.
Paul

Paul ..... you seem to think that " city folk " are a breed apart , some mythical species that we barely come into contact with ........

Some 70 -80% of the population in most developed countries live in cities ....... Do you seriously believe that more and more people who need a car to commute , or travel to work , within a city , five days a week , 52 weeks a year , actually rents one ?

This is complete nonsense ........ Unless of course , the vast majority of people who live in the city have been renting the very same vehicle for the last 10-20 years ........

The Deputy Mayor Of London asked for the wording to be changed in a report prepared by the London University on what improvement the ULEZ expansion would make to peoples health ...... ( " Negligible " was the finding .............. Transport for London were unhappy with this , hence the Deputy Mayor`s intervention .... ) ......

Tube stations contain around 600% higher levels of Nitrogen Oxides ..... ( NOx is TfL`s guage of pollution levels ) ...... than you will ever find on a London street ..... maybe children should be banned from travelling on the Underground ..........

Transport for London has basically been bankrupted since Kahn became Mayor ......... Expansion of ULEZ is nothing whatsoever to do with improving anyone`s health , children or otherwise .......... In a list of most polluted major European cities , London comes 17 th ......... It`s all about raising revenue to cover the debts created by Kahn`s own incompetence .........

BTW ..... The overwhelming amount of Nitrogen Oxide levels in the atmosphere isn`t man made , or even comes out of an exhaust pipe ...... it occurs naturally ....... the main culprit being lightning strikes .... 600 per second globally ....... bloody lightning .....pretty bad for children`s health , I`m sure you will agree ......

 

[Andy J]

Reality is, life as we know it is changing - whether for good or for bad is a matter of opinion - so we’ve all just got to start getting used to it.

 

[rocketonarail]

Reality is, life as we know it is changing - whether for good or for bad is a matter of opinion - so we’ve all just got to start getting used to it.

True .... but it`s the kids I feel sorry for ....... the way things are going they will never experience the freedoms we once enjoyed ......

The only answer is to get out and enjoy yourself as much as you can before it`s too late .... freedom of movement , and the ability to travel when and where you want , in or on a vehicle of your own choice , will soon become a distant memory .......

To quote The Who`s single " Happy Jack " ........ " They couldn`t stop Jack from being happy " ........... The trouble nowadays , is that they can .......

 

[rocketonarail]

Sorry , just an update concerning pollution levels on the London Underground ........ I previously said NOx levels were 600% higher than you are likely to encounter on any London street ..... This is , of course , complete nonsense ......... consulting the data again , it is for Small Particulates that the level is 1400% higher : for Larger Particulates it is 1800% higher .... in fact the BBC ( of all people ) measure it at 3000% higher .......

The maximum level of NOx allowed , as far as Sadiq Kahn`s ULEZ is concerned , is 0.150 g / km ........ NOx note , not Particulate Matter ...... But if you travel on the London Underground , you are exposing yourself Particulate Matter levels up to 3000% more than you will experience at street level ......

So there you are .... leave your nasty polluting car or bike at home , and switch to public transport instead .... You know it makes sense .........

 

[Vince]

I am watching a bloke on YouTube ride his Electric motorcycle around the world and he is doing pretty well. The charging costs are peanuts sometimes even free in some countries. He gets 200 and a bit ks per charge, the bike is crazy fast and so far it's working out really well excluding personnel dramas not related to his transport, don't get put off by this drama, it's very recent and hopefully won't last long. Well worth watching.

 

[nick7]

Paul ..... you seem to think that " city folk " are a breed apart , some mythical species that we barely come into contact with ........

Some 70 -80% of the population in most developed countries live in cities ....... Do you seriously believe that more and more people who need a car to commute , or travel to work , within a city , five days a week , 52 weeks a year , actually rents one ?

This is complete nonsense ........ Unless of course , the vast majority of people who live in the city have been renting the very same vehicle for the last 10-20 years ........

The Deputy Mayor Of London asked for the wording to be changed in a report prepared by the London University on what improvement the ULEZ expansion would make to peoples health ...... ( " Negligible " was the finding .............. Transport for London were unhappy with this , hence the Deputy Mayor`s intervention .... ) ......

Tube stations contain around 600% higher levels of Nitrogen Oxides ..... ( NOx is TfL`s guage of pollution levels ) ...... than you will ever find on a London street ..... maybe children should be banned from travelling on the Underground ..........

Transport for London has basically been bankrupted since Kahn became Mayor ......... Expansion of ULEZ is nothing whatsoever to do with improving anyone`s health , children or otherwise .......... In a list of most polluted major European cities , London comes 17 th ......... It`s all about raising revenue to cover the debts created by Kahn`s own incompetence .........

BTW ..... The overwhelming amount of Nitrogen Oxide levels in the atmosphere isn`t man made , or even comes out of an exhaust pipe ...... it occurs naturally ....... the main culprit being lightning strikes .... 600 per second globally ....... bloody lightning .....pretty bad for children`s health , I`m sure you will agree ......

...Imperial College changed the Report..turned out Sadiq had paid them about £800k in grants. Plus, the claim that there were 4000 deaths due to pollution has since been shown to be a wholly dishonest manipulation of the facts. I try to avoid the tube when in Town, London, and get what were Boris now Santander bikes.Now of course there are a lot of electric hire cycles too. I always wonder where all the cars in central London plan to park! Amazes me there are so many with a £12.50 daily congestion charge..but the road design has choked movement so everywhere is clogged...producing far more pollution than otherwise.

 

[nick7]

Hmm, maybe they’re onto something.

I watched a young girl get bowled over by a car (a gold HJ Holden, I recall it like it was yesterday) running a red light once, all wheels locked up.

Girl and the bicycle she was wheeling on the green man went flying like a rag doll.

Not a pleasant outcome

Probably only doing 50kph.
At 30 he may have stopped

The driver ran a red light..you they he or she will stick to 20 mph??Sorry but its ridiculous to extrapolate from that sad incident. I think some sensible road design at vulnerable points would go a long way..

 

[The Sock]

I have been of the opinion, for years, that the best way to reduce road casualties would be to remove all car driver safety aids and fit a 6" sharpened, stainless steel spike in the centre of steering wheels.
That'd both focus driver's minds on avoiding accidents, and it'd remove those not suited to driving a lethal vehicle.
Basic Darwinism, it's blindingly obvious that the current safety culture is about as successful as the 'war on drugs'.

 

[Vince]

I had an interesting event occur today, I was crossing an intersection on a green light in my car and watched a couple attempt to walk out into the road looking directly at me. I blew my horn and thankfully they stopped while glaring at me and looked astonished like I should have given way to them. Their attitude was like they had a walk sign, I almost went back to check the lights were not malfunctioning. Bizarre behaviour.

 

[rocketonarail]

I had an interesting event occur today, I was crossing an intersection on a green light in my car and watched a couple attempt to walk out into the road looking directly at me. I blew my horn and thankfully they stopped while glaring at me and looked astonished like I should have given way to them. Their attitude was like they had a walk sign, I almost went back to check the lights were not malfunctioning. Bizarre behaviour.

This was exactly the sort of concerns raised when the Highway Code changes here in the UK stated that road traffic should give way to pedestrians who looked as if they were about to cross the road ......... Still on the pavement , but looking as if they were about to cross ........ Thankfully hardly anyone reads the Highway Code once they have passed their test , and why should they when it includes nonsense which has been dreamt up by a committee which has little or no comprehension of the realities of town or city driving or riding .......

........... So the situation of a vehicle suddenly stopping for no apparent reason even though he has a clear road ahead of him , and being tailgated by the vehicle behind ( a scenario the f*ck wits who dreamt this up obviously never envisaged ) , has thankfully not become common place ........

If I find I`m confronted by a pedestrian who has just stepped into the road in front of me , and I have time to slow down or stop safely , after a glance in my mirror to make sure there`s no one driving two feet behind me , and likely to smack into the back of me if I do slow down ........ then I will indicate to said ped that they can continue to cross ......

I`m just waiting for the moment when someone , copy of the Highway Code in hand , strides confidently out into the road in front of me , expecting me to stop .......

 

[The Sock]

I had an interesting event occur today, I was crossing an intersection on a green light in my car and watched a couple attempt to walk out into the road looking directly at me. I blew my horn and thankfully they stopped while glaring at me and looked astonished like I should have given way to them. Their attitude was like they had a walk sign, I almost went back to check the lights were not malfunctioning. Bizarre behaviour.

Modern cars have removed the need for drivers to turn on lights and windscreen wipers. In some cases, to park or apply the brakes before hitting something. This allows/encourages drivers to lose situational/risk awareness.
Mobile phones and the sense that that cars are "safer" allows/encourages pedestrians to lose situational/risk awareness.
As you just witnessed, Vince.

 

[Vince]

I could understand the pedestrian on the phone thing, but they were looking right at me and kept coming till I blew the horn. It's the bike rider Spidy Sence that had me noticing this happen, who expects people to walk out in front of a moving car. There was a lot of arrogance happening, especially from the woman, she wasn't happy I didn't stop from the head turn and hard look. It's usually a busy spot but I was the only car and they were the only pedestrians.

 

[rocketonarail]

Electric scooters and E bikes ......... I live in a small town and make a regular 20 mile trip into the big city ( Bristol ) to access my garage ( I live in a flat with no garage , and nothing to rent here ... ) .....

The big city has lots and lots of traffic , roadworks , tailbacks and queues of stationary cars , coned off traffic lanes with no room to squeeze through , ambulances with sirens and blue lights blazing appearing every five minutes in your mirror 200 yards away , and eventually trying to squeeze past all the stationary traffic where you are ,,,,,,,,,, Venture further into the city and you have tailbacks of cars either at a standstill for as far as the eye can see , or inching forward for a few seconds , and then stopping again .....

I quite enjoy it ....... on a motorcycle you can filter , squeeze through on one side of the queue or the other , spot a gap created by a dithering motorist and nip into the gap , and so on ...... although there`s no way I can compete with a Moroccan on a Deliveroo Honda PCX ......

What you do have to watch out for is people ( anyone ) on City funded orange electric scooters ,,,,, 15 mph minimum on your left , right , coming towards you , darting out in front of you .......

And then you have E bikes ..... not 10 mph things with shopping baskets on the front , but silent 40 mph missiles appearing out of nowhere , usually with some pepped up yoof at the controls , riding in pairs or threes with his similarly equipped mates .......... More than once I`ve been contemplating a quick dart to the left or right to avoid the traffic in front , only to have one ( or two or three ) of these things flying silently past within inches of my shoulder ,,,,,,

But .... I love it .... it`s all part of what riding a motorcycle is all about ....... most car drivers seem to tolerate the whole situation with surprising forbearance too ....... Some will even make way for you as you filter past ........

One last thing ............ Sorry about this ............ but there are times when stuck in the middle of all this when I think " Thank Christ I`m not on the Laverda anymore ... " ........ Late ` sixties tech and modern traffic do not mix well ....... 30 years ago it might have been ok , but nowadays the Mirage clutch would be completely Donald Duck`ed within five minutes ...... and as for trying to find neutral at a standstill in order to give it a rest .... forget it ........ It was easier to stop the engine , find neutral , re start the engine ..... hopefully before the line of traffic had started to inch forward again ( no room to squeeze past ) .....

Even an R1 clutch started to drag / misbehave when faced with a situation like this not so long ago .... ( Not Yamaha`s strongest point , admittedly ) ..... I managed to get through a gap in the cones where there was space to stop , and let it cool down and recover ........ All good fun ..........

 

[The Sock]

One last thing ............ Sorry about this ............ but there are times when stuck in the middle of all this when I think " Thank Christ I`m not on the Laverda anymore ... " ........ Late ` sixties tech and modern traffic do not mix well ....... 30 years ago it might have been ok , but nowadays the Mirage clutch would be completely Donald Duck`ed within five minutes ...... and as for trying to find neutral at a standstill in order to give it a rest .... forget it ........ It was easier to stop the engine , find neutral , re start the engine ..... hopefully before the line of traffic had started to inch forward again ( no room to squeeze past ) .....

And yet, in forty-five plus years of riding in London, including a couple of years commuting on mine, I've never suffered clutch issues or, ever, any problem selecting neutral.

 

[Alzero]

Despite your annoyance at the yoofs on ebikes, a commute like yours would be perfect for a fast e-bike or an electric motorbike. And the e-bike would probably be the best! More narrow and more than fast enough.

 

[rocketonarail]

And yet, in forty-five plus years of riding in London, including a couple of years commuting on mine, I've never suffered clutch issues or, ever, any problem selecting neutral.

Ah ...... but your 3CE was / is in much better nick than my Mirage !
....... Clutch overhauled once ( when Slaters rebuilt the engine at 113,000 miles ) ....... that was during the 40 years / 226,000 miles that I had the bike ...... .......... plus new springs at some point or other , I think ................ If I still had it I would have had a look ( probably literally just a look ) at the clutch by now ..... maybe even tried to get hold of one of those elongated operating arm things , maybe , to see if that would improve things ......

 

[rocketonarail]

Despite your annoyance at the yoofs on ebikes, a commute like yours would be perfect for a fast e-bike or an electric motorbike. And the e-bike would probably be the best! More narrow and more than fast enough.

I don`t really find them annoying .... you just have to keep a 360 degree look out for them , that`s all .....

My commute is a 40 mile round trip ( in order to get to the garage to get the other bike out for a 200-300 mile trip ) .......

I would quite like an Ebike , but I don`t live in a congested city ...... only travel to one ....... I`m not sure what the range would be between charges ............ and anyway , an Ebike wouldn`t be much use for the the 60-70 mph roads on the way there , or the occasional three figure blast every now and again ........ ( speedo keeps slipping back to kilometers for some reason ) ....... gotta make up time when you can ! ....

Talking of which ........... The six speeding points that have been sitting on my licence for the last three years have just expired ............. Free at at last ............ Now I can start collecting them all over again ........ All collected on the same day ...... three for doing 46 mph on a stretch of 40 mph dual carriageway in Gloucester ( Hempstead Lane area - beware ) , and the other three after having to divert all the way back from Chepstow , after the Severn Bridge was closed for some reason or other ...... All the way back up to Gloucester , across the river , and all the way down into Bristol to the garage ....... dig out the other bike ( GW250) ........ and got caught by another camera at Patchway doing 50 on a 40 mph dual carriageway on the way back home again ...... No excuse , probably just not paying attention after all the delay .........

 

[rocketonarail]

Not all interactions with peds are negative ....... Expect some of you are familiar with RJ ... originally from the Lebanon , moved to Jordan , now works in London .......... watching him "filter" amongst the London traffic in his many other videos is something to behold , amd kinda addictive ........

People enjoying their forms of private transport within a city ......... we`ll soon put a stop to that , won`t we Paul ........ .........