New Fines

[Gonterseed]

A bit old as a topic but after the news that middle lane fcukwits are going to get on the spot fines the Daily Mail didn't think that £100 was harsh enough so they had Kinetiq came up with this automated device...

 

[Kryten]

They definately need it - on the M55 on Saturday I was on the inside lane, as were about 75% of the other drivers - some a-hole in a Volvo estate was cruising slowly IN THE FAST LANE at around 75mph, and flatly refused to move ovber even when some woman in a Beemer came screaming up behind him......last I saw as they trundled off into the distance was the Volvo still in the outside lane, with 3 cars behind him and the centre lane and inside lane virtually clear....This is going to be a good idea in theory - but I can't see the police doing anything meaningful like pulling these morons over...

 

[justintime129]

Over what distance will they class as hogging the middle lane. I got overtaken by a national express last night at the start of the m62 (Liverpool end). I was in the inside lane(getting off at 1st junction). No cars in front of me yet it took the bus about 400 uses to get in the inside lane. No they cars around so was he hogging the middle lane.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Over what distance will they class as hogging the middle lane. I got overtaken by a national express last night at the start of the m62 (Liverpool end). I was in the inside lane(getting off at 1st junction). No cars in front of me yet it took the bus about 400 uses to get in the inside lane. No they cars around so was he hogging the middle lane.

This is the problem, these new fines and rules get introduced yet there's never any attempt to educate the motoring public as to what they are supposed to do. And its quite clear from radio phone-ins and posts on internet forums that a good number of people don't know what a safe following distance is or that they are supposed to move into the left lane when not overtaking.
Bring back the infomercials educating people about how they should drive (Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule etc) before handing out the fines.

 

[SORRY CJ]

IN THE FAST LANE at around 75mph, and flatly refused to move ovber even when some woman in a Beemer came screaming up behind him

Its all about education Kryters, and not having a dig here so don't take it that way.
It’s not "The Fast Lane" and never has been.....as you call it. All lanes are there to do a maximum speed if safe to do so of up to and including 70 MPH (it’s a speed limit not a speed target).

The Volvo driver was definitely wrong in their actions by not returning to lane one of the "inside lane" after the passing manoeuvre, just as the BMW driver was wrong when they "came screaming up behind him", unfortunately we are not the police.

You are quite correct in saying that the police will probably do nothing meaningful as it will be very hard to police without the police numbers being there, as rules like this have not stopped the use of the mobile phone (oh lets just put the fine up again).

The new drivers of today are educated in lane discipline but it’s the complacent "I know best" older drivers that are the problem.

Mr SCJ

 

[Kryten]

SCJ, you are exactly right - it isn't the fast lane - years of assumptions coming through there......guess I also fall into the category of a complacent "I know best" older drivers to a certain degree. As a suggestion, why not empower the Traffic Officers with the ability to stop and fine drivers who don't stick to the rules? Would ease the burden on the police and might make everyone think about how they drive on a motorway.

 

[SORRY CJ]

As a suggestion, why not empower the Traffic Officers with the ability to stop and fine drivers who don't stick to the rules? Would ease the burden on the police and might make everyone think about how they drive on a motorway.

Mmm this is true and at present they have no real power other than to stop you for as an example an unsafe load. They do in fact have some calming influence on the road, I for one when I see their landies and still slow even if they don't have supreme power of stop and fine. However, I'm sure there would be some "little Adolfs" in training within their ranks, and we could all see where that would go.
Even if we did see more of them on our roads they still wouldn’t be able to police the hogging and the tailgating, (What constitutes the length of time in the incorrect lane and how close is too close, what is the criteria?) they can’t police mobile phone successfully.

Mr SCJ

 

[justintime129]

Didnt tgey introduce fines for being in the wrong lane on a roundabout in this legislation as well .

 

[Kryten]

Didnt tgey introduce fines for being in the wrong lane on a roundabout in this legislation as well .

Apparently the offences include:

• Driving too close to the vehicle in front

• Failing to give way at a junction (not requiring evasive action by another driver)

• Overtaking and pushing into a queue of traffic

• Being in the wrong lane and pushing into a queue on a roundabout

• Lane discipline, eg needlessly hogging the middle or outside lanes

• Inappropriate speed

• Wheel-spins, handbrake turns and other careless manoeuvres

 

[mild mannered janitor]

And we havent been allowed to do this for years either


(before anyone says anything i dint take the photo it's lifted from facebook)

 

[Realist78]

Just as an aside, IMO the motorway speed limit should be raised, we don't drive around in mobile tudor houses anymore.

 

[Mag2grid]

One can only assume by " Traffic Officers" you're referring to the HATO's that go up and down the motorways other then traffic rats.

HATO's have no powers to issue fines, the only powers they have under the Traffic Management Act 2004 are limited to directing and stopping traffic/ persons and placing out cones.

i personally would never want to give these particular bunch of civil servants any more power...

 

[Gord]

That's one of my pet peeves mate, when people refer to the outside lane as the FAST LANE, when in fact it is a PASSING LANE, as is the middle lane on a 3 lane dual carriageway. The driving lane is the left lane, or here in the colonies, the right lane. Mind you, having said that, there are no rules regarding driving in the middle lane here and overtaking is allowed on both the left and the right providing it is safe to do so. There are rules regarding using the outside lane of a multi-lane highway as a driving lane but they are never enforced unless some copper is drastically short on his quota of issued tickets.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Even if we did see more of them on our roads they still wouldn’t be able to police the hogging and the tailgating, (What constitutes the length of time in the incorrect lane and how close is too close, what is the criteria?) they can’t police mobile phone successfully.

Thats the crux of it, the roads are to all intents and purposes unpoliced. People know they can do whatever they want with only an infintesimal chance of them being the one that comes under the gaze of a police officer amidst all the millions upon millions of motoring offences commited every day.

 

[Bignick]

This law can't come soon enough IMO, and I wish they would introduce it here in Australia.

I swear to god, the driving standards out here are the worst I have ever seen/endured. Speed limits are Low, reportedly to increase fines revenue and the police don't seem to care about much else. There appears to be no road discipline whatsoever. Undertaking everywhere, too much tailgating, and Ar$eholes that think it is ok to do what ever speed they think fit (generally 10-20kpM under the limit) in whatever lane they choose. Net result - clear road ahead of them, and chaos behind, but they don't check their mirrors so don't care

 

[Gord]

This law can't come soon enough IMO, and I wish they would introduce it here in Australia.

I swear to god, the driving standards out here are the worst I have ever seen/endured. Speed limits are Low, reportedly to increase fines revenue and the police don't seem to care about much else. There appears to be no road discipline whatsoever. Undertaking everywhere, too much tailgating, and Ar$eholes that think it is ok to do what ever speed they think fit (generally 10-20kpM under the limit) in whatever lane they choose. Net result - clear road ahead of them, and chaos behind, but they don't check their mirrors so don't care

LOL I don't know anyone here other than the odd blue hair that doesn't drive at least 15 to 25 km/h over the speed limit. The cops wont generally bother with you unless you are over 15km/h-20km/h above the limit on the highways, although that's not the case in the cities where I've been pegged in Toronto for travelling at 5 or 6 km above. In London, Ontario however, just to make myself a liar, the speed limit is generally 60km/hr except in residential areas and right downtown and sh!t loads of people drive at 80 and the cops don't give a feck.

 

[Max Reheat]

'Its a speed limit not a target' probably one of the most irritating quotes of all time.

People who drive excessively under the speed limit when not appropriate should be punished as much as the guy going over the speed limit. I'm fed up to the back teeth of seeing idiots doing 55mph up the M1 being overtaken by trucks limited to 56mph going uphill for miles.

 

[SORRY CJ]

'Its a speed limit not a target' probably one of the most irritating quotes of all time.

Oh dear, well I’m sorry to have irritated you and that you don't agree. However, I think that you should re-visit the Highway Code because unfortunately rule 146 is in agreement with 'It’s a speed limit not a target'

Adapt your driving......"do not treat speed limits as a target. It is OFTEN not appropriate or safe to drive at the maximum speed limit".....Shall I go on?

On the motorway....Rule 260:.......drive at a steady cruising speed which you and your vehicle can handle safely and within the speed limit Rule 124 (however not so slowly as to inconvenience other road users).

Rarely, minimum speed limits are used, such as through the Mersey Tunnels. Circular blue signs with white numbers indicate the start of these limits, and similar signs with a red diagonal line indicate their end.

At present in the UK, there is no legislation for minimum speeds on UK motorways. Although there has been calls for years to set a minimum speed limit, the practicalities of doing so means that at present there is still no specific minimum speed. In general, road works, variable speed control and flow of traffic can all affect the minimum speed on a motorway so setting a minimum speed can be problematic. You can't however drive so slowly as to cause an obstruction or danger to other road users.

These are the rules that we have in place so I’m sorry to say GET OVER IT AND CRACK ON (as long as its below 70MPH that is)

 

[Max Reheat]

I rarely go under 70 on the motorway. The fact that the government were considering changing the limit to 80 shows how archaic the 70 limit is for modern cars. Yes I know I'm a bad man, me and millions of others

 

[SORRY CJ]

I rarely go under 70 on the motorway. The fact that the government were considering changing the limit to 80 shows how archaic the 70 limit is for modern cars. Yes I know I'm a bad man, me and millions of others

But until they do raise the speed limit (target) and enforce a minimum speed limit, tough get over it. DT_Xtremez_07:

Mr SCJ