Northern Expressway - increase limit to 130kmh?

[warpspeed]

The Government really should up the speed limit on the Northern Expressway to 130.

[Mr Smith]

The Government really should up the speed limit on the Northern Expressway to 130.

Could not agree more. 110kmh on a freeway is ridiculous.

[Mr Smith]

The Government really should up the speed limit on the Northern Expressway to 130.

[monotonehell]

The Government really should up the speed limit on the Northern Expressway to 130.

Great way to increase fatalities by around 20%. Loads of research has shown this correlation in both ways (increased speeds led to increased fatalities & decreased speeds led to decrease in fatalities).

However, if anyone wants to discuss this further I suggest they make a topic in the Pub, and link to it.

[Waewick]

I think you are quoting statistics taken from different road ways.

the Northern Express way has separated traffic (i.e a barrier between the two directions) and minimal surrounding impact points (trees etc)

Given the near impossibility of a head on collision or an impact off the road (i.e a tree) I suggest your 20% is so over stated, it isn't funny.

[monotonehell]

I think you are quoting statistics taken from different road ways.

the Northern Express way has separated traffic (i.e a barrier between the two directions) and minimal surrounding impact points (trees etc)

Given the near impossibility of a head on collision or an impact off the road (i.e a tree) I suggest your 20% is so over stated, it isn't funny.

It's true - there are results for all kinds of road types. They range between 18 and 45%, I erred on the conservative end of the results. While separated lanes and so on do improve safety a LOT, even the shining light of free flowing traffic, the German Autobahns, account for 10% of traffic fatalities there. (Significantly lower than all other roads, but that's a different point entirely). The point is that the faster you travel the worse the result of an accident should it occur. All the studies show this.

Have a look at the whole Wikpedia article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limit

[crawf]

Nothing to do with the NEXY, but some speed limits in Adelaide are ridiculous. One that really annoys me Chief Street in Brompton, it's restricted to 40km/h despite being a wide free flowing road.

I can understand the back streets, but Chief Street should be 50. Plenty of other similar scenarios around Adelaide and across the country.

[Aidan]

The Government really should up the speed limit on the Northern Expressway to 130.

Though I'm not in favour of that, I would like to see the speed limit lifted to 120 on our rural freeways.

Great way to increase fatalities by around 20%. Loads of research has shown this correlation in both ways (increased speeds led to increased fatalities & decreased speeds led to decrease in fatalities).

20% of what? How many fatalities have there been on the Northern Expressway?

[Wayno]

How many fatalities have there been on the Northern Expressway?

Irrelevant and i'm surprised you said this. Is it safe to increase the speed on all roads where no deaths have occurred?

Also it's not just speed; it's numerous factors such as reaction times, stopping distance, etc. Changing from 110 to 130 increases stopping distance by 20 metres, which may catch some folk off guard, especially those that tail gate. It's all about driver population consistency & predictability. Throw higher speed limits into the mix for just one road and you're asking for trouble.

Also some folk won't be comfortable doing 130kmh, and will stick at 110kmh, which in itself will cause angst and risk of accidents.

[Aidan]

How many fatalities have there been on the Northern Expressway?

Irrelevant and i'm surprised you said this. Is it safe to increase the speed on all roads where no deaths have occurred?

I think you've missed my point. A 20% increase from zero is nothing. And even though I wouldn't expect it to remain zero for ever, it's still a very safe road by design, so the very slightly increased risk is not automatically a reason not to raise the speed limit.

As I said, I don't support raising the speed limit on the Northern Expressway, but I do on the SE Freeway between Mount Barker and Murray Bridge. This appears to be a very safe road by modification, as wire rope safety fences have been retrofitted to improve its safety performance. The dualled section of the Sturt Highway might also be suitable for a speed limit increase, though that's really just speculation as I haven't used it yet.

[rev]

The real issue that people need to open their eyes to and that governments need to address, is driver education and training.

There are too many dick heads driving vehicles.
A reduction in the amount of dick heads on the roads will also mean a reduction in accidents of all kinds.

[claybro]

The real issue that people need to open their eyes to and that governments need to address, is driver education and training.

have to completely agree. Most countries I have driven in have a standard 130km/h limit on freeway standard roads. The NEXY and SE FWY standard are equal to any. The problem in this state is the complete lack of requirement for formal defensive style driver education.

[Maximus]

The real issue that people need to open their eyes to and that governments need to address, is driver education and training.

Amen to this! Let's address driver education and training first. Then we can have a debate about appropriate speed limits.

[eKwatee]

If they could somehow have a mobile phone blocking device running from the beginning of the Expressway on commencement of the 130km/h then returning to mobile phone reception at the end of the expressway, then drivers would have to do one thing only...and that's drive.

Also have police conduct frequent checks targeting un-roadworthy vehicles and 130km/h should be no problem on the Expressway. It's a great road to drive on.

I did however drive on their during a severe downpour at night and it was very difficult to see where I was going, but common sense and with the ability to change the speed limit as conditions dictate, no problems.

[Ho Really]

Besides dickhead drivers, slow drivers, drivers going too fast, drivers being distracted (on the phone, having sex [or doing both], pets, kids in the back seat, etc.), unhealthy drivers (heart attacks or fits, etc.), unroadworthy vehicles, and yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyone think about fuel consumption and CO2 what that might do to the environment? Just my

Cheers