Done in 38 seconds

Tony Raven wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

Thats one every 38 seconds!!!

You're not taking the quest for the "one car per hour A road" very
seriously, are you... ;-)

--
JimP
--
"We don't have a plan, so nothing can go wrong" - Spike Milligan

Jim Price said:

Tony Raven wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

Thats one every 38 seconds!!!

You're not taking the quest for the "one car per hour A road" very
seriously, are you... ;-)

I got close tonight. I was going to stay in and wash my bike but the
weather, albeit a little blustery, was clear - just the odd cloud
scudding frantically across the sky. So I went for a ride.

Last time I did this circuit was probably august last year. It is 35km
and includes a good bit of climbing (over 10m/km) with half of it flat.
Anyhow, out past the hospital, along the flat bit by the Tay and had to
wait at the level crossing for two trains. Up towards longforgan.
Hardly noticed the rise which is a good omen given my state of fitness
(or lack thereof). Noticed a patch or two of frost. The road follows a
drainage ditch across the flat.
Up the Knapp. Patches of frost. It is a narrow river valley. Clear
night, wind, runnng water and the shape means frost if the dundee air
temp is below about 5C. Gingerly round some corners but no major
trouble (why is the frost always on the downhill?)
Up to Tullybaccart. This did start to get a bit muddy and icy, span the
rear wheel a couple of times. So far not seen a single car on the road
(but it's not an A road). Stopped briefly to put new batteries in my
rear pet glowworm and then up past Ledyatt. The road is now an A road,
single carriageway. I am holding the primary position for 2 reasons.
The first is the cross wind. The second is the LED light is almost
exactly balanced by the light from the full moon, which flattens out
all the texture and makes road features really hard to distinguish.
Sufficiently bright lights but zero contrast. Wierd. And a vehicle
comes up behind me. There is room to squeeze by but it is potentially
icy, the road twists a bit and there is the odd car or two coming the
other way (infrequently but around 1 a minute on ave). He waits behind
(I am doing 25ish - it is downhill even with the cross wind) for over 2
miles despite reasonable passing opportunities until we get to a point
where there is a central right turn lane at the entrance to piperdam. I
wave, he toots and flashes indicators in acknowledgement -- I am
gobsmacked as it was an RAC van. Kudos.

Anyhow, nice ride - 23.5 kph average over 35 km. Last time I did it was
2.5kph faster but very pleased for this time of year.

...d

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm
_______________________________________________
Four hour speed blitz clocks 400
A single speed camera caught nearly 400 speeders in just four hours,
clocking up more than £5,000 an hour in fines.

The mobile speed camera was placed on the A11 outside Norwich, where major
road works are underway.

And guess what... who has jumped on the bandwagon to defend those poor
put-upon souls who were caught out breaking the speed limit & endangering
lives (on the road where Zak Carr was killed), yes, you've got it in one!

<http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED11%20Jan%202006%2021%3A37%3A53%3A410>

"Speed camera group 'destroying respect'"

I get so damn angry when he gets this sort of publicity.

Cheers, helen s

Tony Raven said:

He said: "It's disappointing. We are there purely for the safety of the
workforce. Please slow down. If you don't you will be caught.

"The workmen are going to be working in and close to the carriageways
and the contractors asked the constabulary for some help with some
enforcement to slow traffic down.

"Hopefully people will see us and get the message."

Maybe if they reciprocated and removed the speed limits when not at
work, they might get more respect.

I always try to obey the speed limit, but when you get motorways or dual
carriageways with 40mph limits due to roadworks, but a completely clear
road as the works have been cleared away for the weekend - aargh!

It's that sort of behaviour that dilutes the message they're trying to
get across.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

Tony Raven said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm
_______________________________________________
Four hour speed blitz clocks 400
A single speed camera caught nearly 400 speeders in just four hours,
clocking up more than £5,000 an hour in fines.

The mobile speed camera was placed on the A11 outside Norwich, where
major road works are underway.

Workmen had complained about drivers ignoring the 30mph speed limit on
the approach to the Thickthorn roundabout.

If the 381 drivers seen speeding on Monday and Tuesday were prosecuted,
the camera would generate £22,860 - a rate of £5,715 an hour - in fines.

John Fairey, manager of the Norfolk Casualty Reduction Partnership, said
he believes more speeding drivers slipped through the net while the
camera was trained on someone else.

He said: "It's disappointing. We are there purely for the safety of the
workforce. Please slow down. If you don't you will be caught.

"The workmen are going to be working in and close to the carriageways
and the contractors asked the constabulary for some help with some
enforcement to slow traffic down.

"Hopefully people will see us and get the message."
_________________________________________________

Thats one every 38 seconds!!!

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

WHat [censored] me off about that report was the fact that the BBC seemed
to focus on the fnes rather than the fact that people were breaking
speed limits and scaring the workmen.

Mark Tranchant said:

I always try to obey the speed limit, but when you get motorways or dual
carriageways with 40mph limits due to roadworks, but a completely clear
road as the works have been cleared away for the weekend - aargh!

The current alternative is for the signs to be removed or obscured on a
Friday night and re-instated on a Monday morning. Some of the signs are
in the central reservation. This involves either a crawling vehicle
in the third lane for several miles upstream, or a crawling vehicle in
the hard shoulder for several miles upstream and some poor sod sprinting
across three lanes of traffic out and back. Once on a Friday night,
potentially in the dark, and once on a Monday morning, potentially in
the dark. Doesn't strike me as terrible safe, not when the alternative
is people doing 40 mph (yeah, right) for a couple of miles which adds,
oooh, a massive one minute 20 seconds to a 40 mile all motorway journey.

R.

MSeries said:

Tony Raven said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm

[...]

Quoted message said:

WHat [censored] me off about that report was the fact that the BBC seemed
to focus on the fnes rather than the fact that people were breaking
speed limits and scaring the workmen.

Maybe they think motorists are more likely to care about being fined
than about the safety of the workforce, so focusing on the fines is
more likely to improve their behaviour (and the safety of the workmen).

Tony Raven said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm

[snipped article about speed cameras placed purportedly to protect road
works]

In what way is this relevant in a cycling group?

--
Matt B

MSeries said:

Tony Raven said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm

WHat [censored] me off about that report was the fact that the BBC seemed
to focus on the fnes rather than the fact that people were breaking
speed limits and scaring the workmen.

They could also have mentioned the TRL report (TRL595?) which found
that, on motorways at least, road works did not increase the likelihood
of personal injury accidents (PIAs), and that speed cameras did not
affect the number of PIAs.

--
Matt B

Richard said:

Mark Tranchant said:

I always try to obey the speed limit, but when you get motorways or
dual carriageways with 40mph limits due to roadworks, but a completely
clear road as the works have been cleared away for the weekend - aargh!

The current alternative is for the signs to be removed or obscured on a
Friday night and re-instated on a Monday morning. Some of the signs are
in the central reservation. This involves either a crawling vehicle
in the third lane for several miles upstream, or a crawling vehicle in
the hard shoulder for several miles upstream and some poor sod sprinting
across three lanes of traffic out and back. Once on a Friday night,
potentially in the dark, and once on a Monday morning, potentially in
the dark. Doesn't strike me as terrible safe, not when the alternative
is people doing 40 mph (yeah, right) for a couple of miles which adds,
oooh, a massive one minute 20 seconds to a 40 mile all motorway journey.

That's not the problem. The problem is that most people will still be
travelling at 80mph+. If I wish to obey the limit, I will be endangering
myself and others. Yes, it may be "their fault" for speeding, but that
won't be much consolation from the middle of a twisted wreck of metal.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm
_______________________________________________
Four hour speed blitz clocks 400
A single speed camera caught nearly 400 speeders in just four hours,
clocking up more than £5,000 an hour in fines.

The mobile speed camera was placed on the A11 outside Norwich, where major
road works are underway.

Workmen had complained about drivers ignoring the 30mph speed limit on the
approach to the Thickthorn roundabout.

If the 381 drivers seen speeding on Monday and Tuesday were prosecuted,
the camera would generate £22,860 - a rate of £5,715 an hour - in fines.

John Fairey, manager of the Norfolk Casualty Reduction Partnership, said
he believes more speeding drivers slipped through the net while the camera
was trained on someone else.

He said: "It's disappointing. We are there purely for the safety of the
workforce. Please slow down. If you don't you will be caught.

"The workmen are going to be working in and close to the carriageways and
the contractors asked the constabulary for some help with some enforcement
to slow traffic down.

"Hopefully people will see us and get the message."
_________________________________________________

Thats one every 38 seconds!!!

So, if they are _really_ trying to get people to slow down, why don't they
do what is done in other areas, put up gadgets which warn drivers that they
are exceeding the limit, if they continue to do so, then they deserve to be
trapped, the sensible ones will slow down and respect the limits.

Alan

Quoted message said:

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Matt B said:

Tony Raven said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm

[snipped article about speed cameras placed purportedly to protect road
works]

In what way is this relevant in a cycling group?

--
Matt B

Absolutley none.

"wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm
_______________________________________________
Four hour speed blitz clocks 400
A single speed camera caught nearly 400 speeders in just four hours,
clocking up more than £5,000 an hour in fines.

The mobile speed camera was placed on the A11 outside Norwich, where
major road works are underway.

And guess what... who has jumped on the bandwagon to defend those poor
put-upon souls who were caught out breaking the speed limit & endangering
lives (on the road where Zak Carr was killed), yes, you've got it in one!

<http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED11%20Jan%202006%2021%3A37%3A53%3A410>

"Speed camera group 'destroying respect'"

I get so damn angry when he gets this sort of publicity.

Why, if the police were to warn people they were going to fast, it would
give them the oportunity to slow down to comply with the law, to send them a
notice _after_ the event is stupid, and only supports the notion that they
are there to make money, not to get drivers to slow down.

Apart from which, those particular cameras are basically flawed.

aLAN

Quoted message said:

Cheers, helen s

Mark Tranchant said:

Richard said:

Mark Tranchant said:

I always try to obey the speed limit, but when you get motorways or
dual carriageways with 40mph limits due to roadworks, but a
completely clear road as the works have been cleared away for the
weekend - aargh!

The current alternative is for the signs to be removed or obscured on
a Friday night and re-instated on a Monday morning. Some of the signs
are in the central reservation. This involves either a crawling
vehicle in the third lane for several miles upstream, or a crawling
vehicle in the hard shoulder for several miles upstream and some poor
sod sprinting across three lanes of traffic out and back. Once on
a Friday night, potentially in the dark, and once on a Monday morning,
potentially in the dark. Doesn't strike me as terrible safe, not
when the alternative is people doing 40 mph (yeah, right) for a couple
of miles which adds, oooh, a massive one minute 20 seconds to a 40
mile all motorway journey.

That's not the problem. The problem is that most people will still be
travelling at 80mph+. If I wish to obey the limit, I will be endangering
myself and others. Yes, it may be "their fault" for speeding, but that
won't be much consolation from the middle of a twisted wreck of metal.

It's *exactly* the problem you complained about, that the temporary
reduced limits remained during the weekends.

R.

"Alan Holmes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Why, if the police were to warn people they were going to fast, it would
give them the oportunity to slow down to comply with the law, to send them
a notice _after_ the event is stupid, and only supports the notion that
they are there to make money, not to get drivers to slow down.

Apart from which, those particular cameras are basically flawed.

Bollox. I've driven on that road numerous times. The 30mph limit is well
signposted. People who ignore it are breaking the law, a well-signposted one
at that. There is no excuse!

Cheers, helen s

in message <[email hidden]>, Alan Holmes

(') said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4601544.stm
_______________________________________________
Four hour speed blitz clocks 400
A single speed camera caught nearly 400 speeders in just four hours,
clocking up more than £5,000 an hour in fines.

Thats one every 38 seconds!!!

So, if they are _really_ trying to get people to slow down, why don't
they do what is done in other areas, put up gadgets which warn drivers
that they are exceeding the limit

The driver already has that device right in front of them all the time.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; This email may contain confidential or otherwise privileged
;; information, though, quite frankly, if you're not the intended
;; recipient and you've got nothing better to do than read other
;; folks' emails then I'm glad to have brightened up your sad little
;; life a tiny bit.

Richard said:

It's *exactly* the problem you complained about, that the temporary
reduced limits remained during the weekends.

Yes - and you implied that the risk to remove the signs outweighed the
inconvenience. My problem is with the dilemma of breaking the law to
remain as safe as on the rest of the road, or being legal and in
increased danger.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

Alan Holmes said:

So, if they are _really_ trying to get people to slow down, why don't they
do what is done in other areas, put up gadgets which warn drivers that they
are exceeding the limit, if they continue to do so, then they deserve to be
trapped, the sensible ones will slow down and respect the limits.

Every car by law has to have one of these gadgets calibrated and in
working order, visible for the driver. Why are more needed?

...d

"Richard" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mark Tranchant said:

I always try to obey the speed limit, but when you get motorways or dual
carriageways with 40mph limits due to roadworks, but a completely clear
road as the works have been cleared away for the weekend - aargh!

The current alternative is for the signs to be removed or obscured on a
Friday night and re-instated on a Monday morning. Some of the signs are in
the central reservation. This involves either a crawling vehicle in the
third lane for several miles upstream, or a crawling vehicle in the hard
shoulder for several miles upstream and some poor sod sprinting across
three lanes of traffic out and back. Once on a Friday night,
potentially in the dark, and once on a Monday morning, potentially in the
dark. Doesn't strike me as terrible safe, not when the alternative is
people doing 40 mph (yeah, right) for a couple of miles which adds, oooh,
a massive one minute 20 seconds to a 40 mile all motorway journey.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been held up along several
miles of restrictons and not a single workman in sight!

So, if the road is clear, and there is no one in the 'working' area, why
should drivers not be able to drive at a speed which is still safe?

Alan