🚀 go-pugleaf

Steve Sherwood (sts@mfltd.co.uk) wrote:
: unreasnable speeds.  Last night on the M4, 4 Mercs, 2 BMW's and a Range Rover
: overtook me, at least 30mph faster.  If there was an accident.. They would
: never stop in time.   And why is it only the Mercs etc..?  Even the company
: reps in their Sierra has the sense to slow down in those conditions.

Those cars go with a certain type of position and lifestyle.  I think
that the sort of people who aspire to and attain that sort of position
and status tend to be aggressive and egotistical.  Doesn't seem
implausible that this is reflected in the way they drive.  I expect a
load of people will now post and claim that it is the other way round,
and we'd all be safer drivers if these vehicles were banned, but I
doubt that.  It's a case of you drive what you are, not you are what
you drive.
-- 
				Steve Hunt	steve@acorn.co.uk

I agree.  I am sick of straining to read signs which tell me there's fog about
or sitting in stationary traffic (often caused by folk ahead slowing to look at
an accident on the other carriageway) next to a sign telling me to do 30mph!!

The one useful thing signs really could do is to warn people of major holdups
ahead and give them chance to avoid them.  To do this the signs would need
placing just before an exit to advise of a queue so that one is given the
option of turning off.  The display could be kept very simple - just a number
specifiying the length (in miles) of the queue that the hapless motorist can
expect to face between this and the next junction if they do not turn off.

Any road designers or traffic planners read this group??

Ian.
-- 
/--------------------------------------v----------------------------------\
| Opinions expressed are my own and    | Phone: +44 908 585858 or 284508  |
| not necessarily those of my employer | Fax:   +44 908 584620            |
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In article <1993Jan8.133002.15507@edscom.demon.co.uk> ian@edscom.demon.co.uk (Ian Green) writes:

>
>The one useful thing signs really could do is to warn people of major holdups
>ahead and give them chance to avoid them.  To do this the signs would need
>placing just before an exit to advise of a queue so that one is given the
>option of turning off.  The display could be kept very simple - just a number
>specifiying the length (in miles) of the queue that the hapless motorist can
>expect to face between this and the next junction if they do not turn off.

On motorways like the M6 they have batteries of cameras all over the place
and big costly traffic `control' centres but they still can't seem to
get the signing right or useful even in these areas. For example, coming
into the Birmingham area on the M6, where there is frequently a crash, fog,
or both, there are no signs on the gantrys at the beginning of the conurbation
capable of saying something like `warning: heavy congestion ahead'.

If it's like this in the areas that are camera'ed and controlled, what chance
is there in rural motorways?

>
>Any road designers or traffic planners read this group??
>

I believe the use of the words `designer' and `planner' here to be
inappropriate descriptions of the slap-dash, half-baked, sloppy and
downright stupid under-designing and wanton lack of forethought in
Britain's traffic policies.

Flames to the Department of Transport. They deserve them.
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Bottomley: ceram@uk.ac.warwick.csv  ;  apj003@uk.ac.cov.cck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In article <1993Jan8.133002.15507@edscom.demon.co.uk> ian@edscom.demon.co.uk (Ian Green) writes:
>I agree.  I am sick of straining to read signs which tell me there's fog about
>or sitting in stationary traffic (often caused by folk ahead slowing to look at
>an accident on the other carriageway) next to a sign telling me to do 30mph!!
>
>The one useful thing signs really could do is to warn people of major holdups
>ahead and give them chance to avoid them.  To do this the signs would need
>placing just before an exit to advise of a queue so that one is given the
>option of turning off.  The display could be kept very simple - just a number
>specifiying the length (in miles) of the queue that the hapless motorist can
>expect to face between this and the next junction if they do not turn off.
>
>Any road designers or traffic planners read this group??

Well this undergrad transport student does. As I've said the Department of Transport is currently testing signs on the M25 which provide between 2and 4 lines of text. I think approximately 20 characters per line, possibly more. These can show such messages as "Junction 10 off slip closed" or "Delays on A3". They have 
the advantage over traditional dot matrix signs of having a greater area for
display and also having text inputted directly.

Rob.

<R.J.Woolley@uk.ac.lut>