Proposed new speed limit

[Racerbear02]

As you will probably be aware, there is a call to reduce the speed limit to 80kph on single carriage way roads, down from the current 90kph.

http://www.nonalabaissedeslimitationsdevitesse.com/index.php?page=accueil

Is an online petition to oppose this.  Please feel free to complete it if you wish.

[idun]

I saw this the other day and I would rather like to know what percentage of accidents happen on such roads.

I can think of lots near my old village that are single carriage ways, but are quite wide and are good  roads. IF the authorities could keep people to the 90 limit, then I reckon that that would be a good thing, but reducing the limit seems daft.

[Rabbie]

There have been proposals in the UK to lower the speed limit on some single carriageway roads in particular those which are narrow. IMO it is daft to have the same blanket speed limit on all roads. The type of road should be taken in to account. Speed limits are more likely to be observed if they are perceived to be sensible.

[PaulT]

In the UK there was a strong proposal to increase the motorway speed limit from 70mph to 80mph which has now been dropped.

Perhaps at times 70mph is impossible on some parts of the motorway system. However, the cynic in me wonders whether raising the speed limit would have reduced the amount of fines levied due to exceeding 70mph.

I also wonder if some of the speed reductions are to reduce the speed exceeded, i.e. 30mph road with 40mph normally travelled at by some motorists, reduce it to 20mph and those people will travel at 30mph - just a thought.

[Judith]

Near us, to get to Narbonne the road is straight and almost junction and bend free ... it is perfectly safe to travel at 90kph on this road, reducing for the few hazards (bends and junctions) though I accept it is sometimes difficult not to go faster than you think.  Dropping the speed limit on such a road would be stupid and futile.  Most who travel it know the hazards, and the rest of the road is perfectly safe at 90.  The problem seems to me to be the fact that a proportion of drivers are unable to drive at any speed, be it the legal limit or lower.  The question is, how much should we pander to those incompetents, for the more slowly people drive on roads which are perfectly safe at a higher speed, the more accidents are caused by those self same slow drivers .... this from someone who does try hard to drive within the speed limits....!!

[AnOther]

Petition signed !

Stupid idea which will do nothing except increase revenue from fines.

[Chancer]

[quote user="Judith"]  The problem seems to me to be the fact that a proportion of drivers are unable to drive at any speed, be it the legal limit or lower.  The question is, how much should we pander to those incompetents, for the more slowly people drive on roads which are perfectly safe at a higher speed, the more accidents are caused by those self same slow drivers .... this from someone who does try hard to drive within the speed limits....!!
[/quote]

I just dont understand that, are you saying that incompetent (at any speed) drivers would have less accidents the faster they drive?

Or are you saying that by driving slower than the limit they cause accidents involving people driving at the limit? 

I dont view myself as unsafe or incompetent, I am a former racing driver, I do however usually drive below the speed limits in France, they are a limit not a target, it do get the ocacsional angry trucker so I make a point of pulling over in that case, there is a long section of autoroute between Lille and Dunkerque where poid lourdes are not allowed to overtake so I do drive a little faster and at the limit there.

What does however frequently happen is that I will drive at 80kph and some muppet will fly past me at well over the limit on the approach to a village and then immediately slam on his brakes at the start of the 50kph restriction, myself I back off at that point and dont usually slow right down to 50kph, dependant of course on the conditions, in any case its very gradual, so I usually overtake the car that has just overtaken me on a trailing throttle while he is standing on the brakes, one day I might run up the back of one of them, I realise that I would be to blame but is it me that would have really caused that accident?

[Théière]

Reducing the limit down by 10km would add an extra hour to my already long journey, that doesn't mean I drive at the limit (well not all of the time) but at a margin under for obvious reasons so reducing by 10km would mean travelling at a margin less but still 1 hour longer would be too much.  Switching to the autoroute would remove this hour and more likely an additional 30-40mins, possibly for others too, so more traffic comes off the already quiet towns and villages onto the autoroutes so helping to further kill off small businesses across france.

I do get very bored travelling through arrow straight roads in towns and villages at 30km in the evenings where you do not see a soul on the streets and no auberges are open and no life seems to exist any more. France is dying I think.

[YCCMB]

[quote user="Chancer"]

I dont view myself as unsafe or incompetent, I am a former racing driver,[/quote]

I knew it!!!

Are you? Could it be?

Chancer IS.........

THE STIG!!![:D]

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="Théière"]

I do get very bored travelling through arrow straight roads in towns and villages at 30km in the evenings where you do not see a sole on the streets and no auberges are open and no life seems to exist any more.[/quote]

[quote]France is dying I think.[/quote]

People are being transformed into fish, perhaps?

[Chancer]

Last August Thiére when I was training for the marathon I would run one evening and cycle the next, I was shocked to see so few signs of life on the balmy sunny evenings, no families taking a stroll, not even evidence of any in their gardens, mowing the lawn etc, seems to be a rule of life that at 19.30 everyone  sits around the table for aperos, then eat and what then I have no idea and dont really want to learn.

The evenings I would cycle for a couple of hours and cover 30+kms through villages around and through town, again a really balmy lovely summer evening I saw not one person and only encountered two cars in town, no doubt returning from the tabac, none at all outside of town.

[Théière]

[:)][:$]

I agree Chancer, when I was working near the Dordogne, I finished early and thought wouldn't be great to find a nice auberge and sample some home cooked food on this balmy early summer evening. I drove and drove through towns and villages, one was even called Meze so I thought that must have something open, nope all closed all the way up to the loire, Pauls on the autoroute had some horrible looking leftovers from the flies evening meal.  McD's was open which explains why they sell more in france, because it's the only bloody thing open but as I refuse to eat it I got home hungry and made a fry up!

Looking to move on to another country, France IS dying and her death duties are way too high. 

[Judith]

for the more slowly people drive on roads which

are perfectly safe at a higher speed, the more accidents are caused by

those self same slow drivers ....

Chancer,

What I mean is that, when people drive more slowly than the road allows (often around here, 50 or 70, instead of the permitted 90), large queues build up, or someone comes along and overtakes rashly.   I see many examples of near crunches in these circumstances. 

We are none of us perfect, and driving very slowly, when you know both the road and your car (and I hope the level of your driving skills) all of which allow you to drive perfectly safely at a higher speed still within the limit,  allows frustration or irritation to take its toll ... I know I can suddenly find myself almost dozing off when in a long slow queue ... 

Thus going too slowly can be as bad as going too fast.

I see now some places have minimum speed limits .... an interesting development I think.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"][quote user="Chancer"]

I dont view myself as unsafe or incompetent, I am a former racing driver,[/quote]

I knew it!!!

Are you? Could it be?

Chancer IS.........

THE STIG!!![:D]

[/quote]

[:D]  [:D] So funny I laughed out loud!

[Chancer]

Judith.

Back in the days when money was no object and I drove like a maniac rarely obeying speed limits I had no end of close shaves caused by slower drivers not having their wits about them, I also could easily fall asleep at the wheel when forced for whatever reason to drive slower than the limit.

Strangely enough I have managed to adapt now that I drive at 80kph on main roads and 100kph on the autoroutes (sometimes a little faster) and never get bored or tired now, cant really explain the difference but I am well aware of how driving long distances no longer causes me stress and fatigue despite extra hours now being added to my journeys.

The other big difference is I practically never am involved in situations of emergency braking or manouvres to avoid inattentive drivers which was a very very regular occurrence before.

One day when its not me paying for the fuel I will drive again like I used to and see how it leaves me feeling.

[idun]

 Really Chancer, the people of Picardie as so disciplined????

Interdit to mow lawns after 7.30 during the week and 7 on a Saturday, and only on a Sunday from 10-12. I'm actually pleased that they adhere to this rule as there was nothing worse than a few of my pig ignorant voisins who would start strimming just as we were going to eat in the garden.

I know french people who go for a little walk on an evening, And they have been known to half inch any fruit or veg that is going to be honest. I don't know anyone who dog walks though.  A bloke near us used to go for a walk and carry his little dog, does that count?????[Www]