Speed limits too high on most roads, NZTA estimates

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Speed limits too high on most roads, NZTA estimates

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

6489 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2252788 6-Jun-2019 09:36

1101:
What a load of codswallop
How is it, that race cars can do 2x,3x the speed limit on our very worst roads. Are the roads really so unsafe, it seems not.
Yes we use our very worst unsealed roads for racing. Stop saying its the roads.

Its the driver.

It is the driver and you'll have one of them heading towards you. One of the last times I recall racing cars doing 2 way traffic (inadvertently) Possum Bourne was killed.

frankv

5680 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2252802 6-Jun-2019 10:04

clevedon:

So it's not the roads - just drive to the conditions no matter where you are.

I'm not sure if you're serious or not. NZTA seems to have a fixation about controlling and limiting speeds, and dumping the responsibility on the driver.

FWIW, a couple of months ago, I, a NZ driver, successfully drove safely .at 130kph on public roads with no problems at all. Legally, too... 80mph speed limit. This was in Texas, on roads that were properly engineered for these speeds. Europe, too, had 130kph speed limits when I was last there.

In the USA, there are practically no speed cameras, and far fewer cops on the road. And there's none of this nonsense of enforcing 5kph or 10kph over the limit. Quite rightly, it's not seen as very important. Drivers doing outrageous speeds *are* pulled up. There is one speed limit for everyone, so there's no queue of cars stuck behind a truck, for example. And of course all but county roads are 4 lanes with either a median barrier or a very wide median.

It's incredibly disappointing that new roads e.g. Kapiti Expressway are engineered for 110kph speed limits.

tdgeek

29751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252815 6-Jun-2019 10:25

frankv:

clevedon:

So it's not the roads - just drive to the conditions no matter where you are.

I'm not sure if you're serious or not. NZTA seems to have a fixation about controlling and limiting speeds, and dumping the responsibility on the driver.

FWIW, a couple of months ago, I, a NZ driver, successfully drove safely .at 130kph on public roads with no problems at all. Legally, too... 80mph speed limit. This was in Texas, on roads that were properly engineered for these speeds. Europe, too, had 130kph speed limits when I was last there.

In the USA, there are practically no speed cameras, and far fewer cops on the road. And there's none of this nonsense of enforcing 5kph or 10kph over the limit. Quite rightly, it's not seen as very important. Drivers doing outrageous speeds *are* pulled up. There is one speed limit for everyone, so there's no queue of cars stuck behind a truck, for example. And of course all but county roads are 4 lanes with either a median barrier or a very wide median.

It's incredibly disappointing that new roads e.g. Kapiti Expressway are engineered for 110kph speed limits.

Agree fully, everyone drives normally there. There is no race to win, no need to save 3 minutes. I dont know if its universal there but my then gf would tick me off if I touched a shoulder white line, it seemed a huge deal.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29769 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252817 6-Jun-2019 10:26

You can have an 80k speed limit and find someone crashing after going 200kph. Doesn't seem to stop them.

You can have a 80k speed limit and someone goes round a 45k corner at 80,Cross the centre line and take out a car going the other way at 80k.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29769 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252818 6-Jun-2019 10:27

frankv:
clevedon:

So it's not the roads - just drive to the conditions no matter where you are.

I'm not sure if you're serious or not. NZTA seems to have a fixation about controlling and limiting speeds, and dumping the responsibility on the driver.

FWIW, a couple of months ago, I, a NZ driver, successfully drove safely .at 130kph on public roads with no problems at all. Legally, too... 80mph speed limit. This was in Texas, on roads that were properly engineered for these speeds. Europe, too, had 130kph speed limits when I was last there.

In the USA, there are practically no speed cameras, and far fewer cops on the road. And there's none of this nonsense of enforcing 5kph or 10kph over the limit. Quite rightly, it's not seen as very important. Drivers doing outrageous speeds *are* pulled up. There is one speed limit for everyone, so there's no queue of cars stuck behind a truck, for example. And of course all but county roads are 4 lanes with either a median barrier or a very wide median.

It's incredibly disappointing that new roads e.g. Kapiti Expressway are engineered for 110kph speed limits.

I heard its incredibly expensive for a youngster to drive a powerful car over there.

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1424 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252852 6-Jun-2019 11:15

gzt: This is almost non-news. Open road is predominantly rural area where no vehicle in existence can actually travel at that speed on most of that road in reality.

well this is one of those roads they have marked at dangerous to drive on over 80km/h. Anyone incapable of driving on this road safely at even 130 km/h shouldn't be driving at all.

Yes, it has bends and ice and sheep and cops..but you slow down where necessary

Matthew

Technofreak

6530 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2252859 6-Jun-2019 11:18

This from our "esteemed" Associate Minister of Transport.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/391361/huge-majority-of-nzers-would-prefer-lower-speeds-on-some-roads-genter

FFS!!!! If you're not happy at the speed limit then drive at a speed you're comfortable with. Why does the limit need to be lowered?

I very much doubt her claim there is a huge majority who would prefer lower speed limits, otherwise they would be driving slower now anyway. Wouldn't they? Surely those drivers are not so dumb as to drive at the limit when they don't feel safe doing so?

An interesting aside. I see the Minister of Transport is missing in action on this issue. Can an assumption be made this is a "Green" initiative? I have strong suspicion the road toll is being used for another agenda here.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

tdgeek

29751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252861 6-Jun-2019 11:25

You cant drive slower as you will hold up traffic and get a ticket. While there are many drivers that can drive faster and still be safer than most, the roads are made up of all manner of drivers. Speed kills. Ask the Police and ambo's

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1424 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252864 6-Jun-2019 11:27

tdgeek:

You cant drive slower as you will hold up traffic and get a ticket.

You must have read that on a beer billboard..... 😋

Matthew

Technofreak

6530 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2252865 6-Jun-2019 11:27

Benoire:

Batman: Greg Murphy has chipped in saying its not the speed but training and testing.

I completely disagree that its not speed; is good training and testing going to improve the kinetic energy absorption of the human being? No, I suspect not. What good training and testing will do is eliminate some of the outliers but it will not improve the general driving standard enough to make a difference... And then if it did, and there where say 10% poor drivers left , is that still acceptable that those 10% could cause a consequence on someone else due to their reckless behaviour?

Remember the speed issue debate isn't about stopping accidents, that will never happen... its about reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries, which is why 30kph for areas where people on foot use and 70kph where its only vehicles are the numbers being banded around... They're the 'safe' levels of energy absorption that we can tolerate without suffering death or serious injury.

Reducing speed is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach where you reduce the height of the cliff to reduce injury. There needs to be a reduction in the number of people falling off the cliff. Driver training, testing and education will do this.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

tdgeek

29751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252870 6-Jun-2019 11:37

Technofreak:

Reducing speed is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach where you reduce the height of the cliff to reduce injury. There needs to be a reduction in the number of people falling off the cliff. Driver training, testing and education will do this.

Agree but it will never happen. We dont want to pay an extra tax to fund AKL transport, so if everyone was forced to go to and pay for driving education every other year, they will revolt. You could restrict cars to 110kph but drivers will revolt. Like climate change, most people, want to make roads safer as long as it doesn't affect them

Technofreak

6530 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2252876 6-Jun-2019 11:40

tdgeek:

You cant drive slower as you will hold up traffic and get a ticket.

I don't think you will, so long as you let the following traffic past when ever practical.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

tdgeek

29751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252878 6-Jun-2019 11:42

Technofreak:

tdgeek:

You cant drive slower as you will hold up traffic and get a ticket.

I don't think you will, so long as you let the following traffic past when ever practical.

Ok, I read that here. I guess you're right

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#2252881 6-Jun-2019 11:43

Lets not forget the cost to the economy per traffic death....what is it around $5 million? So the cost to the economy last year was around 1.5 billion.

We're all paying for it one way or another.

tdgeek

29751 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2252888 6-Jun-2019 11:51

If we all followed the rules we know exist, deaths would just be slipups. But we place more emphasis on saving 2 minutes

Run a red light $80 fine. next time $500 next time $5000. payment in 7 days no excuses, will take car, TV and the sofa if it comes to that

That will get the attention, safety isn't important, money is though

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8