Re: All you people thinking of returning to the UK think again..

[baypond]

It was reported on South Eastern TV news last week that the local councils would not be filling in the multitude of pot holes in our local roads after the winter damage because ................................

the pot holes were good for slowing down traffic.

Quite incredible - even Sarkosy couldn't have dream't that one up

[Dog]

It's a great idea - I thought the same years ago - I love off roading.

It will also teach people car/bike control on uneven surfaces.

In the future it will be too expensive to metal roads and we will have to go back to basics.

Where I live the roads were metalled in the 60's - I would have loved to be there before that.

I have a pic of my grandparents visting France pre WW2 and their Rover being craned onto the cross channel ferry.

[Renaud]

I was reading a report about traffic lights being linked so that a car travelling at 30mph gets only green lights.

Sounds a good idea, it has been thought of before (Slough in the 60s on the A4).

But the idea was killed because the govenrment thought that if people were constantly having to slow down and start up again at traffic lights they would use more fuel and therefore contribute more to the government through petrol tax.

S*d the carbon emissions then?

[Maricopa]

[quote user="Renaud"]I was reading a report about traffic lights being linked so that a car travelling at 30mph gets only green lights. Sounds a good idea, it has been thought of before (Slough in the 60s on the A4). But the idea was killed ......[/quote]

in Portsmouth when they did something similar on the Eastern Road and all the louts tried to see if the same thing could be achieved by doubling their speed[:-))]

[KathyF]

[quote user="Renaud"]I was reading a report about traffic lights being linked so that a car travelling at 30mph gets only green lights. Sounds a good idea, it has been thought of before (Slough in the 60s on the A4). But the idea was killed because the govenrment thought that if people were constantly having to slow down and start up again at traffic lights they would use more fuel and therefore contribute more to the government through petrol tax. S*d the carbon emissions then?[/quote]

I read recently on the BBC news website that this idea is being looked at again and will probably be implemented.

[AnOther]

It's also of course cheaper to pay motorists claims for damage to their cars then repair the roads.

From my 'bondu bashing' days in the Arabian deserts I recall that there is an optimum speed to traverse a graded track and slower was not always better [:P]

[baypond]

Ernie, I have a friend who firmly believes the only way to go over the speed bumps in France is to approach at 30mph, punch the brakes a few feet in front and release straight away. This lifts the suspension just as you hit the bump, and makes for a smoother passage without having to slow down too much.

[5-element]

I wonder if this issue would be sufficient to deter anyone who has decided to (or cannot do anything but) return to the UK...

[baypond]

Clearly not, but I think it is indicative conditions in UK plc and also of the state of Council funding, especially when our local Council lost £50 mio in Icelandic banks. Tax rises are on the way as we will see in today's budget I guess.

Unfortunately, the biggest losers amongst the Brits in France/Europe, are those that have costs in EUROs and income in GBP.

The best case would be owning French house with a GBP mortgage, but I guess that would be a very small proportion of people.

 

[powerdesal]

[quote user="ErnieY"]
From my 'bondu bashing' days in the Arabian deserts I recall that there is an optimum speed to traverse a graded track and slower was not always better [:P]
[/quote]

Seconded.   Graded tracks degenerate into a corrugated surface and the idea seems to be to find the right speed to "glide" over the tips of the corrugations, makes traction on corners interesting though

[Gluestick]

It is a matter of adjusting the road speed to the natural frequency of the suspension, Steve.

Since it is a damped spring system, Young's Modulus or summat applies.

 

[powerdesal]

vats wot i said - innit ?

I believe you are correct in your assumption of the application of Young's modulus. Most car manuals don't actually quote the natural frequency of the suspension though, or the speed equivalent v pitch of corrugation curves  [:P]

It still makes cornering on a corrugated track an interesting experience, particularly in rear wheel 2 wheel drive.

[Gluestick]

Many years ago I, for some reason, decided to fit a year's stadium racing into my then frantic racing and work schedule.

It was exciting, trying to hold it all together on cinder tracks which had been badly cut up by speedway two nights before....................

Still, I learned quite a bit about going along sideways on two wheels at speed!

[:-))]

[IMG]http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/Michaeleff/MiniHotRod70.jpg[/IMG]