James Silverton wrote:
> Dave wrote on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:05:47 -0500:
>
>> blake murphy wrote:
>>> On Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:23:04 GMT, James Silverton wrote:
>>>
>>>> MG wrote on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:51:43 GMT:
>>>>
>>>>> no...if you don't speed, you don't get caught...easy
>>>> How bloody profound! Many speed limits are assigned on a
>>>> basis of the squeaky wheel !
>>>
>>> my sympathies are with the residents in many cases. if you
>>> live on an 'alternate' rush hour route, people can come
>>> zipping through pretty damn fast. the proliferation of speed
>>> bumps is annoying, though.
>
>> I live on a country road that is rarely very busy, but there
>> are a lot of cars that are travelling way past what is a
>> reasonably safe rate of speed for the conditions. There
>> lightly rolling hills, no shoulders, blind intersections and
>> driveways, farm tractors and equipment, cyclists, walkers and
>> wildlife. When we first moved here the speed limit was 70
>> kph, and there was a horrible accident rate. There were five
>> crashes in front of our house or within a few hundred feet of our
>> property withing the first two years we lived here. I
>> never saw any speed enforcement. The town dropped the speed
>> limit down to 60 kph. It didn't slow people down, and there
>> was still no enforcement. Then the they dropped the limit to
>> 50 kph. I still don't see any speed enforcement, but most
>> people have slowed down. There are not as many accidents, and
>> it is a lot quieter, since slower moving cars don;t make as
>> much noise.
>
> I wonder if more speed limit signs would help? People (like me) tend to
> forget the actual limit and choose what seems a reasonable speed if not
> reminded. Once every 100 yards or meters might be reasonable. Honestly,
> I'm moderately law abiding and stop before right-on-red and stop signs.
>
> I wonder if it is still the case in Britain but there once were not as
> many different limits and a 30mph area was indicated by a red reflecting
> circle on lamp posts.
>
That makes (or made?) too much sense. I, too, would benefit from
periodic reminders. And I think it's not playing fair to fiddle
with the speed limit or light timing and them immediately start
fining people. There should at the very least be a introductory
period, for people to become acclimated or be warned. But I see
this is a money-making proposition.

--
Jean B.