One of my favourite local blogs is Dennis Signy's blog on the Edgware Times. Dennis is always witty and always worth a read. His latest blog mentions a local character called Jimmy Cardash, who in the 50's & 60's had a reputation as a bit of what we now call a boy racer. My dad used to run a crash repairer in Mill Hill called MacMetals and used to mention one of his best customers of that name who had a reputation for speeding.On the subject of speeding, one of the things my dad would always do (after the M1 opened to London) when a new sports car turned up for repair. Once they had finished the job, He'd get his stopwatch, start it, hurtle out of Bunns Lane, up Flower Lane, up the A41 to Edgware, Up the M1 to Watford, turn around and come back. As he reentered Bunns Lane works, he'd stop the stopwatch and if it was a new record, he'd chalk up the car, the date and the time on the wall of the workshop.
Occasionally a passing Police car would get the number of the car (they'd not have a chance of getting near, as my Father would drive like a maniac). A familiar scenario was the irate customer appearing with a speeding ticket. They'd say that it was disgusting that he'd taken the car and broken the speed limit. My dad would always ask "You have a sports car, can you honestly say you'll never break the speed limit?" He'd then explain that he'd asked one of his workmen to take the car for a spin to ensure that it was safe to drive following the repair, and as such it was prudent to check it's performance at speed. He'd tell the customer to explain this to the police. My dad would then claim to have a rotten memory and not be able to recall who tested the car. Once he got a visit from the plod to take him to task over this practice. The visit ended with the copper taking a newly repaired Jensen Interceptor for a spin.
Fast forward to 2008. I doubt that my Dad's run would be possible these days with the congestion, traffic lights, speed cameras etc. The laws regarding speed limits in this country is ridiculous. The speed limits for motorways were devised in the 1960's when cars were far heavier, brakes were inferior, cornering was far worse. As a result, wheras 70 mph is completely inappropriate for empty motorways, narrow slow roads are far more dangerous for pedestrians, as cars can travel far more quickly on winding roads. Boy racers treat roads like a formula one track. A typical case in point is Partingdale Lane, reopened at the cost of £1 Million by Barnet Council under Brian Coleman. I use the road regularly as it is a convenient rat run from the Ridgeway to Finchley. The speed at which vehicles travel down this road is ridiculous. Barnet put pinch points in the road and a completely ignored 20mph limit. From what I've seen, the pinch points are even worse than two way traffic. Cars actually accelerate through them to beat oncoming traffic. On Saturday, I saw some pedestrians forced into a hedge by a car refusing to slow down. If you look at the picture at the top of the page, ask yourself where the pedestrians go when two inconsiderate drivers pass each other (which happens all the time). This is taken on one of the wider, straighter sections of the Lane.Another case in point is the no entry onto Mill Hill Broadway from Goodwyn Avenue. Councillor Matthew Offord revealed over a year ago that over 300 illegal turns were being made per day. When asked what Barnet planned to do about this, his reponse was "Nothing". When asked if this would change if someone was killed, he replied "It might".
Is it any wonder that Barnet is bucking the trend of decreasing road safety under this administration. Community safety chief Brian Coleman was banned from driving for speeding recently (accumilating the points whilst holding the Cabinet Transport portfolio). I'm not anti car, just pro road safety. I'd allow speed limits of 90mph on Motorways between 10pm and 6am. This would encourage drivers to make long journeys at less busy times, reducing congestion & CO2 emissions. As to suburban roads and traffic offence hotspots, I'd rigorously enforce speed limits where there is a safety issue. Drivers would soon get the message. How many millions are spent on looking after disabled victims of accidents. This is the hidden cost that is never mentioned.
5 comments:
Excellent Blog article. We the residents of Barnet know that all over this Borough 'rat runs' are the norm and this is entirely due to this incompetent Barnet administration. Who rather than address the problem by implementing traffic calming and 20mph zones in residential areas seem content, by all accounts, to spend all of their available time filling out their expenses claims. When will these Councillers and incumbent MP's realise that most residents want their roads & streets to be places in which the community can thrive, places that are peaceful and environmentally friendly. We do not want our roads to be merely 'Rat Runs' or pollution and noise tunnels.
Rog,
I guess my problem with your approach to much of this is that the idea that anything can really improve without DRIVERS and DRIVING improving.
The govt's own stats show that interventions using robots, and humps and bumps haven't brought significant improvements in safety. Further the govt has abandoned research into the side effects of these measures, that you mention, ie people braking hard ahead of speed cameras and speeding up later in their journeys to make up for chicanes and bumps slowing them down. The 'danger' just gets shoved further down the line.
I've raised the 'scattergun' approach the police take on highways enforcement at residents' forums. They seem to think that smashing safe drivers with fines and points for minor infractions, ie going a few miles over the limit where there are no other factors is the way to success. They flinch from really hitting hard those drivers we both come across who drive wildly over speed limits, drive recklessly and pay little attention to other road users.
These people don't get properly prosecuted as it is hard work and the police aren't on the road to look for them anyway, they leave it to the cameras which don't pick this up.
@Drew, you are completely wrong. Whilst some people may want their OWN publicly owned and funded roads turned into private driveways they expect to be able to drive around the rest of the borough on roads clear of this dangerous, 'road rage' inducing machinery.
dAnfhope,
Yes, I have heard your argument before and I agree there is validity to it. I can't really speak for anyone else but I don't mind cars passing through my road but what I do mind is drivers needlessly and recklessly speeding down my road. Now that is another thing entirely. The implementation of 20 mph zones in residential areas, to my view, would not be a hardship nor would it tip me towards road rage. It would be a good thing and statistical info bears out the positives of 20 mph zones. In reality blanket 20 mph zones are only a matter of when and when they do arrive there will be no need for driver improvement as all cars will be satellite controlled anyway. It will be the future whether we like it or not.
@Drew, the simple point that all of these gizmos fail to deal with is the absence of real, rigorous old style policing with equal carrot and stick.
Highway police should be brought back with the mission of improving driver education. I remember my Dad getting pulled over and 'told off' by police for switching lanes without indicating. His driving probably improved from that encounter. Now? He'd probably have got a ticket and the police would get money and a 'crime' solved.
20mph zones, humps and bumps just don't hit the really dangerous drivers (as opposed to the marginally risky drivers) that concerned Barnet residents want off the road. The huge proven danger of speed limits like that is drivers are poleaxed; eyes staring on the dashboard and not the road ahead.
We need Police in cars patrolling LATE AT NIGHT to catch these guys and gals...
danfhope,
Good points and I agree entirely what you say regarding Police conduct and instruction and the story regarding your Father is very poignant. FYI. There was a recent speed trap held in Oakleigh Ward where apparently the Police took this instructive approach or 'advisory notice' to people speeding. I guess the Officers on duty that day also feel we need to go back to basic driving skills. Which begs the question how did we forget those skills in the first place?
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