In article ,
says...
JNugent wrote:

The Chiswick section of M4 was designed and built to be
operated at no speed limit whatsoever - though it had the
national 70 limit imposed soon after opening.

You can't design a road for "no speed limit whatsoever". Britain's
motorways were generally designed for 70 mph, but it's obvious that the
first bend on the M4 going west was designed to a lower standard. I
thought the 50 mph limit on that stretch was imposed from first opening,
BICBW.


My understanding (based on dubious discussionswith policemen friends of
mine!) is that the motorway network in the uk is disigned for safe
travel within lanes upto 120mph. Greater speeds are safelypossible with
the full use of all carrigeways. This assumes good road conditions, and
competent drivers capable of accessing when it is safe to travel at
these speeds. This later point is why we have a maximum speed limit of
70mph on British roads.
--
..paul

If at first you don't succeed...
Skydiving is probably not the sport for you.

paul wrote:
In article ,
says...
JNugent wrote:

The Chiswick section of M4 was designed and built to be
operated at no speed limit whatsoever - though it had the
national 70 limit imposed soon after opening.

You can't design a road for "no speed limit whatsoever". Britain's
motorways were generally designed for 70 mph, but it's obvious
that the first bend on the M4 going west was designed to a lower
standard. I thought the 50 mph limit on that stretch was imposed
from first opening, BICBW.


My understanding (based on dubious discussionswith policemen
friends of mine!) is that the motorway network in the uk is
disigned for safe travel within lanes upto 120mph.

I think you mean 120 kph.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 at 00:13:36, paul
wrote:


My understanding (based on dubious discussionswith policemen friends of
mine!) is that the motorway network in the uk is disigned for safe
travel within lanes upto 120mph. Greater speeds are safelypossible with
the full use of all carrigeways. This assumes good road conditions, and
competent drivers capable of accessing when it is safe to travel at
these speeds. This later point is why we have a maximum speed limit of
70mph on British roads.

I heard once that the police agree that motorways would be safe enough
at 80 mph (bringing them into line with their Continental counterparts),
but that they don't wish the speed limit to be increased since everybody
drives at 80 anyway, and if the speed limit were 80, everybody would
drive at 90, which they don't think is safe.
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 18 July 2004