Speed Limit up to 80mph

[90019]

That's why I said long term, it may not even be done before the introduction of driverless cars.

Thankfully, the chances of that ever actually happening are close to 0.
It would be a logistical nightmare, and with the amount of traffic on the roads would cost far too much to be viable IMO, especially when the gains would be relatively minimal.

Honestly, I really can't see the point of changing the side we drive on.

 

[Zoe]

Honestly, I really can't see the point of changing the side we drive on.

Well it would be good to have a single standard throughout the EU. If a road link to mainland Europe is ever built then people would have to change the side they drive on if they are going to enter the UK. As for driverless cars I believe they are inevitable, the only question is how long it will take before they are introduced.

 

[jon0844]

I'd say the day we switch to driving on the right hand side of the road in the UK is the same day all cars will be driverless. They can introduce both at the exact same time, along with the new shuttle service taking people to the brand new Tesco Extra on the moon.

Well it would be good to have a single standard throughout the EU. If a road link to mainland Europe is ever built then people would have to change the side they drive on if they are going to enter the UK. As for driverless cars I believe they are inevitable, the only question is how long it will take before they are introduced.

You said eight years, presumably as you have some actual detail of a planned introduction and didn't just guess it?

If we ever got a road link to France, you could easily divide the lanes and have one cross over/under the other to swap. You wouldn't need to change the whole of the UK for one road.

Or, maybe we should ask the whole of Europe to change to driving on the left? That would be much easier for us!

 

[Zoe]

You said eight years, presumably as you have some actual detail of a planned introduction and didn't just guess it?

Driverless cars may well be available in 8 years time but actually getting them introduced will likely take much longer unless people realize that using the technology would be much safer.

 

[jon0844]

You surely can't introduce driverless cars to mix with other traffic? It will be all or nothing, or little more than a 'proof of concept' such as the Google trials.

 

[Zoe]

You surely can't introduce driverless cars to mix with other traffic? It will be all or nothing, or little more than a 'proof of concept' such as the Google trials.

Well once they are available I expect extensive testing for a few years and once they are proved safe, manually driving cars could be banned. Once all cars are driverless then it could be set so that they drive on the right of the road to allow standardization throughout the EU.

 

[richw]

People that can't drive competently/safely on a motorway should'nt be on the road at all, it should be part of the driving test and if you show nerves or incompetance on the motorway you should fail.

My nearest motorway is 100 miles away, living in far west cornwall, I completed pass plus, which gave 8 hours tuition and included driving up to the motorway and covering time on the m5,

 

[Mojo]

Mind you, it seems that a lot of signs are seemingly random when it comes to yards, so perhaps they're already measured in metric and then converted?

The Traffic Signs Manual says that signs referring to x yards before the datum point are measured in metres, and that a mile is equal to 1,600 metres.

In addition, the posts at the side of motorways (the small white ones) and the newer blue signs all read in kms from the start of the motorway.

 

[radamfi]

I don't see why driverless and driven cars can''t coexist. I presume it would be possible to crash into a driverless car from the side or behind.

 

[HSTEd]

Well if average speed cameras are too dangerous we could just have conventional speed cameras every hundred or two hundred yards on all motorways and other trunk roads.

EDIT: Average speed measurements dont seem to cause much problem in France, don't they fine you if you arrive at a toll both before your entry-onto-the-autoroute ticket says you should be able to?

 

[jon0844]

While the poor passenger(s) are powerless to do anything to avoid the accident.

I really don't think they could ever mix. They'll either need their own roads (good luck on that one), or ordinary cars to be banned (even better luck on that one).

I think we'll see more intelligent cars with more safety features, even the ability to drive in convoy on motorways (and closer together) but never with the driver taken completely out of the loop.

 

[GearJammer]

Driving on the right, don't be bloody rediculus, imagine all them drive throughs that would be screwed...... heres your meal sir, now please pull up to the next window to place your order!

 

[90019]

Well if average speed cameras are too dangerous we could just have conventional speed cameras every hundred or two hundred yards on all motorways and other trunk roads.

I've got a much better idea, which is to have more Traffic Police.
A camera can detect speed and nothing else, a person can spot other things wrong.

 

[HSTEd]

I've got a much better idea, which is to have more Traffic Police.
A camera can detect speed and nothing else, a person can spot other things wrong.

And who will pay for this vast new force of traffic police?
Cameras are rather cheap to maintain, especially with modern entirely solid state camera and radar technologies. Certainly more so that a two man team in a car suitable for catching idiot drivers.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I've got a much better idea, which is to have more Traffic Police.
A camera can detect speed and nothing else, a person can spot other things wrong.

What a good idea - it's not like we're cutting public spending and making officers redundant.

 

[Zoe]

Maybe there could be a tax if you wanted to legally drive at 80 mph due to the increased CO2 emissions.

 

[90019]

And who will pay for this vast new force of traffic police?

Presumably the ones who will pay for the installation and maintainance of this vast network of cameras.

The problem I have with cameras is that they are purely for speed, whilst there are much bigger problems out there.
They'll catch everyone doing a few mph over the limit, meanwhile happily passing undetected go the drunk driver, the person on drugs, the unroadworthy vehicles, the untaxed or uninsured vehicles, etc.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Maybe there could be a tax if you wanted to legally drive at 80 mph due to the increased CO2 emissions.

It's called Fuel Duty (and the extra VAT).

 

[Zoe]

It's called Fuel Duty (and the extra VAT).

The question here though is if that is high enough to discourage people from driving that fast or if there should be an additional levy?

 

[90019]

The question here though is if that is high enough to discourage people from driving that fast

Why should it be?

Because you don't think they should be allowed to?

 

[Zoe]

Why should it be?

Because you don't think they should be allowed to?

As driving that fast will result in higher CO2 emissions and encouraging higher CO2 emissions is not something we should be doing with the reality of climate change.

 

[Butts]

And who will pay for this vast new force of traffic police?
Cameras are rather cheap to maintain, especially with modern entirely solid state camera and radar technologies. Certainly more so that a two man team in a car suitable for catching idiot drivers.

Perhaps some of the money currently raised though road tax, fuel tax, vat on fuel etc etc could ACTUALLY be spent on something connected with the vehicles it derives it's income from.

 

[Minilad]

Should we limit trains to 70 as well then

 

[jon0844]

What about revving the engine, being in the wrong gear, braking too late, racing away from the lights? All good ways to burn fuel you could have saved.

 

[Butts]

As driving that fast will result in higher CO2 emissions and encouraging higher CO2 emissions is not something we should be doing with the reality of climate change.

Perhaps you ought to devote your energies to reducing emissions in China, India, Brazil and the USA.

A few people driving at 80mph is never going to eclipse the filth spewing out of these nations

 

[Schnellzug]

Well it would be good to have a single standard throughout the EU. If a road link to mainland Europe is ever built then people would have to change the side they drive on if they are going to enter the UK. As for driverless cars I believe they are inevitable, the only question is how long it will take before they are introduced.

is this before or after HS37 (aka the LGV 'Ighlands Ouest) is completed between Glasgow and Mallaig?

 

[Butts]

Driving on the right, don't be bloody rediculus, imagine all them drive throughs that would be screwed...... heres your meal sir, now please pull up to the next window to place your order!

Quite right they can all switch to driving on the left

Forget that nonsense about switching to KM as well

 

[Ferret]

What about revving the engine, being in the wrong gear, braking too late, racing away from the lights? All good ways to burn fuel you could have saved.

Best post in the whole thread!

 

[GearJammer]

Best post in the whole thread!

Ya just know some muppet is gonna look up and say 'ah well if we had driverless cars they would'nt do that'.:roll:

 

[GB]

As driving that fast will result in higher CO2 emissions and encouraging higher CO2 emissions is not something we should be doing with the reality of climate change.

Great, then after that we can start taxing people for farting or breathing:roll:

 

[Minilad]

Great, then after that we can start taxing people for farting or breathing:roll:

Oh crikey I might as well just hand all my pay straight to the guvmint then