Traffic on the A9 (1 Viewer)

[WillH]

Been driving on the A9 over the last few days and seen possibly the worst standard of driving anywhere this year. The speed limit of 60 m.p.h. is taken as the mandatory minimum by a lot of drivers and double white lines mean nothing to these guys. Had to brake (hard) several times to avoid on-coming overtaking traffic and the chevrons at the end of dual carriageway sections are treated as acceleration zones!

Anyone heading up to Inverness please be careful.

Rgds
Bill

 

[6pm Cowboy]

I cycled all along there once while doing the end to end.

Scary

 

[New Rover]

I reckon I've seen more speeding on the A9 than on the mate in my years of driving on both.

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[DESCO]

When I am round that way have taken to using the side roads that run parallel if possible, learnt that awhile ago and much pleasanter, both driving and scenic wise.


Dave:thumb::thumb:

 

[2657]

Idiotic law that restricts LGV's to 40 mph on large stretches of this modern road causes a lot of frustration and dangerous overtaking. Truck drivers are often then subject to abuse by other motorists simply for abiding by the law and safeguarding their licences and livelyhood.Time for a change I think, but nobody listens!!!!

 

[slickmouse]

Should have been dualed a long time ago, I think its going to be done soon though

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[hilldweller]

Idiotic law that restricts LGV's to 40 mph on large stretches of this modern road

Only single carriageway roads. It's all down to physics, the kinetic energy in those things even at 40 is something awesome so there is logic behind it.

at 40 they would have 30*40*40 = 48,000 clicks
at 56 it becomes 30 * 56 * 56 = 94,080 clicks, double the energy when it hits something or has to stop.

Using the same daft units a car at 60 is 1.5 * 60 * 60 = 5,400 clicks.

And the lunatic bikers 0.3 * 60 * 60 = 1080 clicks.
A biker about to be jailed 0.3 * 120 * 120 = 4320 clicks.

Food for thought.

 

[pappajohn]

Only single carriageway roads. It's all down to physics, the kinetic energy in those things even at 40 is something awesome so there is logic behind it.

at 40 they would have 30*40*40 = 48,000 clicks
at 56 it becomes 30 * 56 * 56 = 94,080 clicks, double the energy when it hits something or has to stop.

Using the same daft units a car at 60 is 1.5 * 60 * 60 = 5,400 clicks.

And the lunatic bikers 0.3 * 60 * 60 = 1080 clicks.
A biker about to be jailed 0.3 * 120 * 120 = 4320 clicks.

Food for thought.

while i know we all should be more patient but i have travelled the A75 quite a few times and usualy get stuck behind an HGV convoy doing the max 40mph.

i'v also seen many car drivers, me included, get so frustrated doing 40mph for mile after mile especially at ferry docking times.......6/7/8/9 HGVs in convoy doing 40mph and one wanting to overtake the lot doing 50mph.

in one trip alone i saw 3 HGVs on their side in fields/storm drain gulley persumably by having to take evasive action but not one car accident....yet!

if the authorities are going to make it 40mph then it should be all vehicles.

 

[2657]

Only single carriageway roads. It's all down to physics, the kinetic energy in those things even at 40 is something awesome so there is logic behind it.

at 40 they would have 30*40*40 = 48,000 clicks
at 56 it becomes 30 * 56 * 56 = 94,080 clicks, double the energy when it hits something or has to stop.

Using the same daft units a car at 60 is 1.5 * 60 * 60 = 5,400 clicks.

And the lunatic bikers 0.3 * 60 * 60 = 1080 clicks.
A biker about to be jailed 0.3 * 120 * 120 = 4320 clicks.

Food for thought.

Food for thought indeed, I am not advocating raising the 40 mph speed limit on all single carriageway roads, only on the wider ,straighter updated roads as are the single carriageway sections of the A9, even then only to 50 mph.
On the A66 between Penrith and Workington there are sections of modernised single carriageway where it would be perfectly safe to drive a modern LGV at 50 mph. There are also sections of dual carriageway where the west bound side is the old twisty road and the limit for LGV's is 50mph, I would not drive a loaded LGV along this road at 50 mph, Where's the logic in that!!!!
I presume the equation you are using is E=mvsquared(can't get the little 2 up there), max weight for an LGV is 44000kg, so figures would be;
40mph = 70400
50mph = 110000
don't know what the units would be though, its a long time since I did physics.
This energy would be dissipated over six axles with modern disc brakes and whilst not being able to stop as quickly as a lighter vehicle, I can assure you that they do work.
There is no simple solution to this problem, but I and many other truck drivers wish that someone would put some thought into it.

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[hilldweller]

There is no simple solution to this problem, but I and many other truck drivers wish that someone would put some thought into it.

True enough and these days we seem to be fixated on Speed Kills, it's all that "they" can come up with.

There is another side to this, that 40T HGV when empty must have a pretty impressive stopping distance, yet the load is no taken into account.

And of course the limit is the same dry/rain/ice. The law makers seem to come to terms with "it's snowing so the drive must fix a safe speed" but they are totally against "the driver must fix a safe speed at all times".