Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

I have been using the M42 bmore recently due to working in Bromsgrove, the amount of times the 50mph signs were on when there was no traffic was stupid.
Also, there would be 50mph on one gantry, 60mph on the next then 50mph for 3-4 then down to 40, back up to 60, there is no consistency with them.
Fair enough 2 miles down the road if there is trafffic, then slow it down to 60 mph and then bit further along 50 but not up and down like a fiddlers elbow.

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

Which is exactly why I put these caveats into my post.

At least the M42 now flows at 40 mph at the busiest times of day, whereas it used to be stationary before the active management.

It is bloody annoying when you come along it at 8pm on an empty motorway and it's still switched on.

I know a guy who hates it, but it's only because of the big brother aspect forcing him to do a certain speed, when actually he wants to do 90mph all the time, and 'cos the traffic is flowing well he think's he could be going faster. Switch it off and let all the drivers like him hit their go pedals and see how fast we are back to lane hogging and traffic jams. You may not like active traffic management, but you complained about lane hogging and traffic jams beforehand, you can't have your cake and eat it.

The truth of it is on the M42, and now on the M6, that journey times have been cut during rush hour since the system went in, because you are better doing a steady 40mph, than 5 mins of 60mph, then 10 minutes of 20mph, then 10 minutes stationary, etc. Trouble is if the system is not used properly, journey times are getting extended when it's not rush hour.

The system works on queuing theory, we've been using it for years in IT to improve data flow on slow network links. When used properly (or left alone and not messed about with by Wombles who think they know better) it works.

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

By the way, it depends on the time of day. If it's on at 8pm at night it's just been overridden by some muppet in a control room.

It monitors steady traffic flow, as soon as it see's traffic starting to bunch up, it will drop the speed limit 2 miles further back up to road, to stop that traffic catching up with and running into the back of the queue and making it worse. Just like turning off the tap when there's a kink in the hose. So if it's a borderline time of day, like 4:30 pm, or 6:30pm, there may seem to be no traffic, but your doing 50 for a reason, ie: you'd soon be in a traffic jam if you weren't.

You see this theory in action at the top of the M40 coming North, where people come barrelling up the M40 and hit the end of the active traffic system you get a queue, but once you get round the long bend and onto the M42, the traffic starts flowing again. In the bad old days, you'd be queued all the way to the NEC. It's the lack of any control further down the M40 towards Warwick, that causes the queue at the top.

Again the system is only as good as the person controlling it. I've never seen how this system is controlled, but on a network link (using a technology called shaping) you can control sensitivity parameters that decide how big a blockage needs to be before any action is taken. It's sensitivity of the system being set too high cause the signs to jump around like that. It's reacting to one person braking further up the motorway. I don't know if the sensitivity can be adjusted on the active traffic system, but some days it does that, other days it doesn't, so I think there's some human error coming in there.

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

My tester obviously wasn't paying attention then! Thank God. Never used the Cat B entitlement though!

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

I still see *plenty* of stop start traffic jams (with no actual 'cause') so its not true that its eliminated them.

IMO any difference is more due to the extra lane than active management.

There has been no direct comparison to see if its been due to management or another lane.

IMO its mostly got worse with potentially slightly less jams. Not that it bothered me on the bike and with hard shoulder running typically the hard shoulder is still moving.

That may be why it annoys me so much, I get to see it just after rush hour. the Wombles really f*cking annoy me though. 40mph *and* the hard shoulder closed because of a car parked in the layby, f*ck right off!

Also now the 'normal' speed limit is 60, shows those years at 50 were wrong, were all the drivers who used it then in the wrong to be annoyed at it?

Druid

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

My conception of this thread
All bikers think car drivers are crap
All car drivers think bikers are crap
All bikers think they are the best thing since sliced bread
All car drivers think they are the best drivers in the world

I just think the whole thing is a rat race and nobody has time or consideration for others due to the pace of modern life,but as in all things you have an exception to the rule-------------------------------ME:D

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

On the active traffic management thing, i have no doubts that constant speed does enable more volume of traffic to flow better.
The speed restrictions on the M25 helped that on the stretch i used at the time, also worked in others countries as well i believe.
But my big problem with them, they knee jerk react all the time, 40mph when 50 or 60mph would be sufficient.
Have we all lost the ability to control our cars or make decisions above 40mph? No.
I also think its a stealthy way of lowering the speed limits in a more long term way.
When we complain, they will produce statistics to prove they are right to do it.

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

I didn't say it had eliminated jams, but I think there is less of them. Your entitled to your opinion on it mate, just that I disagree with it.

Certainly to get from Aston to Shirley used to take an 45 mins to an hour in rush hour regardless of if you went via Ring Road/A34 Sparkhill, or if you took the M6/M42, it was six of one, half dozen of the other. Now I use the M6/M42 every time (especially on the bike because lots of the A34 is too tight to filter) and it takes me 30 - 45 minutes.

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

I tend to find the M42 flows well the 4/5 times i've used it no problem and within the 50mph Average speed cameras on the M4 however the blanket ban won't work. I can respect it's for workers of the road but is there really 24 hour working and 24 hours of solid 3 lane traffic.

I did my pass plus with my old driving instructor last October and as i suggested to him about Variable speed limits and he said your right but it would be impossible to implement and people would speed at higher speeds with the lower speed limit in force.

And explain this one, how come it's the same speed limit on a Dual Carriageway and a Motorway?

Re: Drivers comments on Motorcycle Article
 

Shhhhh, don't give them any ideas. It's bad enough doing 50 on that last bit of the A470 before Coryton, which I think is 50 just to stop people smashing into the back of the queue of traffic trying to get onto the interchange to get onto the M4. And don't get me started on the A48M.