Very interesting article just on ABC news with regards to speed and road toll. I wish our govt had more lateral thinking with regards to ticketing everyone doing 105k and over. It doesnt solve any sort of road toll issue.
sw20,
Apr 11, 11:20am
When we have four lanes each way with generous shoulders bring on 85mph.
richardmayes,
Apr 11, 11:24am
Seconded. Even sh!tty old cars like mine can happily cruise at that kind speed in safety on a super-highway. Unfortunately, on the real-world roads we actually DO have, a lot of drivers aren't even capable of driving safely in new cars with good modern handling and roadholding characteristics.
It's not the cars that are the problem, it's the retards.
socram,
Apr 11, 12:43pm
Agree about the sentiments, but if we pander to the lowest common denominator, standards will never rise.
Ticket the bozo's and hit them with severe penalties, toughen the driving test, and if it means retaking the test at age 40 or 50, so be it.I'll happily retake my test tomorrow even though I got my car and bike licences in the UK, way back in 1964, when and where the test was tough.
Toughen up on the imported drivers who seem to be able to be able get a licence all too easily having never driven above 40kph before arriving here.
You are correct, 105kph and getting a ticket will not improve driving standards. Slowing up a queue of frustrated motorists or jumping red lights, failing to indicate and not keeping left are areas that need addressing before worrying about 105kph where we all know it is safe.
Sure our roads aren't so hot - in places - but look at our traffic density and the quality of the roads in some areas- particularly the south island, and there is no reason whatever why a lift to 110kphisn't feasible on specific roads.The Aussies manage it, the poms manage it and it seems, even the yanks can manage it, so why can't we!
Just saying our drivers aren't good enough is a typical left wing namby-pamby attitude to control us to the n'th degree and is a total cop-out.If standards are that low, then raise them!If the nation is issuing licences to people who aren't up to scratch, that is surely a simple thing to address!Might take a bit of time to filter through, but we have to start somewhere.
sandypheet,
Apr 11, 2:11pm
There was a section of motoway that I drove on in Ireland that was 120kph.
xacoon,
Apr 11, 2:15pm
sad thing is, its all down to $$$. you fail your licence test, pay the nice lady some more money, have another go. sat my class 5 last week, instructor was telling me he had a couple of students failed 8 times before passing. I personally think the test is too easy, and as for the actual driving test. what a joke. it seems hard to fail, and thats not the way it should be.
mk3zephyr,
Apr 11, 2:19pm
oh you meant the USA Texas, not the NZ Texas, sorry, had a moment there thinking about the NZ one
cowboy110,
Apr 11, 2:54pm
85 Miles per hour = 136 Kilometres per hour.That just ain't gonna happen here in my lifetime.I'm afraid with the standard of NZ's State Highways (Yeah Right) and NZ's attitude to drink driving and driving in general it would lead to mayhem on the roads.
johnf_456,
Apr 11, 4:58pm
Yup, will never happen here, even 110 would be pushing it.
wrong2,
Apr 11, 5:54pm
most NZ roads are fine at 120
wrong2,
Apr 11, 5:56pm
the real problem isnt our roads - its the general population
that being said, i was driving with some of the best traffic ever this weekend going from christchurch to hamilton
people were maintaining speed really well
digger80,
Apr 11, 6:49pm
it would be another big help,if all town and city councils,would repair all the "STOP" signs,that don't work,oh- sorry bad drivers again,
socram,
Apr 11, 7:11pm
I find it quite strange that I could AVERAGE 130kph in the UK for a journey of 300 miles and find it non-stressful, coming across virtually no wallies.A trip from the Shore to Auckland and back is enough to send any sane driver bonkers, as there are just so many bad drivers - using any criteria you like.
In a modern car on a deserted South Island road 130kph is NOT fast and is also totally safe in many, many places in the North too.
Sure, the roads in some areas could be better, but many of the nation's roads are fine - it is just that as yet, we do not have a decent first world standard SH1 that goes from Wellington to Whangarei, with a minimum two lanes in each direction and a decent barrier down the centre.Pity - but it is improving- slowly.100kph always was a convenient number, no more, no less.If we were in mph, would it be 60 or 65!
chris_051,
Apr 11, 7:12pm
too bad 99% of the drivers aren't
socram,
Apr 11, 7:20pm
Unfortunately, we only notice the bad ones. Realistically, I would say that maybe 70%- 80% aren't too bad at all.Using the Pareto rule, it is fairly safe to assume that 80% of the problems, chaos, accidents, deaths, etc are caused by 20% of the drivers.
So, 4 out of 5 posters on here don't cause the problems.To be fair, many people using this MB are probably more aware than most, but there are certainly a fair few who may be the cause of the problems.
40wav,
Apr 11, 7:30pm
I can think of one crotchety old fart thats probably on *555 most of the time behind the wheel.
johnf_456,
Apr 11, 7:33pm
Lol, a lot will have to change in nz for police to give the ok to up speed limits up here. But we always go for the lowest common denominator.
mybaby,
Apr 11, 7:39pm
Roads such as the Bruce highway from Brisbane to the Sunshine coast in queensland are 110 kph, however, it is a peice of tarmac that is a whole lot better than anything we have in little old NZ, and the people driving on it have a lot better road manners as well.
wrong2,
Apr 11, 7:40pm
i was surprised over this weekend
over the desert road i was with people who kept speed & avoided the brakes
people who took the opportunity to overtake , instead of those who wait for passing lanes
almost felt like what a roadtrip should be like !
hotrodtodd1,
Apr 11, 7:51pm
Good news Socram, SH1 is in the south island too. And we have bugger all cars down here (but we have been infested with motorhomes driven by tourists who have no idea about where they are going)
socram,
Apr 11, 8:42pm
Tourism is our biggest earner of overseas funds, so we'll get even more campervans so we'll need decent roads.Take the point about SH1 South though.
Foreign tourists hiring camper vans, coming fromplaces where they do have decent roads, (and higher speeds) were shocked to find that (until recently) SH1 twisted its way through places like Waiwera!Overseas baby boomers are now getting to travel furtther afield, but is NZ ready! Of course not.
So we'll all have to get used to them clogging the roads, but it would help if we could get past them at a decent speed without feeling guilty.Touring at 120kph is an ideal cruising speed when the road is clear - which it often is.
richardmayes,
Apr 12, 5:37am
When you are talking about speed limits on public roads, unfortunately the issue at hand is protecting us from the lowest common denominator, not "pandering to" them.
socram,
Apr 12, 11:28am
Then let's target that lowest common denominator and raise the standard, not drag everyone else down to their level!
That is why the Scots put the local thickos in the front line of battle - it raised the overall standard (probably diluted in the last 100 years). Eliminate the worst and very quickly, overall standards are raised.If that means taking licences away or being more careful about issuing new ones, so be it.
I am faced with the same problem with a client. A percentage of the workforce seems disinclined to put in fair day's work for their pay, so in effect, they are being propped up by the remainder to the tune of $100s of dollars a week.That means the employer can't pay the good ones more money as the cost of output would be too high.Dumping the ineffective ones lowers the unit costs and creates extra cash opportunities for those who are working well.
Same applies to drivers.Raise the standards or pay the penalties and make the good drivers suffer.
mariska67,
Oct 22, 7:56pm
130 kph in the Northern Territory , thats on the open road mind you. Used to be no speed limit not that long ago either, only got changed after a mulitple fatality during their Cannonball Event when a car lost control while coming in too hot at a stage checkpoint and lives were lost . They have the Cannonball Memorial Statue just south of Stuarts Well roadhouse where Dinky the singing dingo lives , if you get over them ways, check it out.
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