Japan's Trial on Increased Speed Limit Saw no Increase in Road Toll.

[csv8]

"The Japanese National Police Agency will lift the speed limit on sections of two major expressways in the country’s east from 100km/h to 120km/h.

While the Australian response to road toll has been to wind speeds back, Japan’s police agency says an earlier trial that saw the limit raised from 100km/h to 110km/h did not see a significant increase in accidents. The new limit of 120km/h is officially an extension of that earlier trial, and will run for at least the next year as authorities gather data.

Previous studies by Japan’s transport ministry and the National Police Agency found that increasing expressway speed limits would not result in a corresponding increase in the accident rate, provided enforcement of the new limit was also ramped up." https://www.facebook.com/66568984356...5969224203039/

[RANGEREST]

I worked in Gifu and Nagoya a few years ago, the speed limit was 100 on the freeways, but everyone seemed to travel at 115, police included.

[simon varley]

yeah well, so what? Facts won't change out authorities' opinions over here. The NT trial didn't result in any more injuries or fatalities either, but that got discontinued. "They" have been spreading the Speed Kills mantra for so long now that it would be political suicide to recant.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by RANGEREST

I worked in Gifu and Nagoya a few years ago, the speed limit was 100 on the freeways, but everyone seemed to travel at 115, police included.

and UK motorways routinely run at 90mph (145kmh) versus a limit of 70. Like I said above, it doesn't matter. Our great leaders have decided we have to go slower and no amount of evidence to the contrary will change their minds

[383hq]

Originally Posted by simon varley

and UK motorways routinely run at 90mph (145kmh) versus a limit of 70. Like I said above, it doesn't matter. Our great leaders have decided we have to go slower and no amount of evidence to the contrary will change their minds

This, of course, is due to safety concerns for you and I, <end sarcasm> and nothing to do with the $300million+ in revenue (Vic only) from speed camera tickets, that replaces income from real value add activities such as manufacturing...

policed tickets earn govco less than half that amount (vic only) and, like, manufacturing, require substantial ongoing efforts/costs due headcount.

Vic pollies love the cash generation automation (pokies, flash for cash etc) far more effective in generating cash, far less effort

[Tonz]

Id wager Japanese roads are better quality than ours.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by Tonz

Id wager Japanese roads are better quality than ours.

So Up the speed limit on good quality roads only !
Hume Syd-> Mel could easily be 140 in many sections
- not for P platers (90 red, 110 green)

- enforce keep left rule
- heavy vehicles not allowed in right lane for more than 300metres in any 1km (rolling 1 km, regardless of overtaking)
- heavy vehicles, and towers never allowed in right lane where there are more than two lanes

- minimum speed in right lane of say 70% of the speed limit
- no bicycles (where alternate routes are available)

(Gives police ways to enforce rules that actually contribute to safety)

[b0son]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

So Up the speed limit on good quality roads only !
Hume Syd-> Mel could easily be 140 in many sections

I'm not sure the design speed is even that high. 130?

[Vesper Martini]

There's a few things in the way of this happening

1 We have to factor in for the lowest common denominator - the incapable
2 Most cars are not designed to travel at the higher speeds - in point fuel economy
3 vehicles travelling at multiple speeds up to 50kph difference is dangerous - see point 1
4 Politics - the safety message has been driven for so many years it now wins votes
5 Accountability - we are a cover your aXZ society - a TAC report will only advise to lower the speed.

[speedy]

I am sure the design speed would be over 140 kph , even if compare to similar German high speed freeways. BUT , the speed limit should be 130 kph

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by speedy

I am sure the design speed would be over 140 kph , even if compare to similar German high speed freeways. BUT , the speed limit should be 130 kph

In know its different from the German freeways but I've driven up in the NT where there are limits of 130kph - very few do that.
Its mostly done when passing road trains doing about 80kph

[bangm001]

But where would we find the extra funds to make up for loss of revenue!

[marty351]

Originally Posted by bangm001

But where would we find the extra funds to make up for loss of revenue!

A tax on light trucks?

[Citroënbender]

If it works out for Japan, maybe we can ask them here to raise our speed limits for us?

[Bossxr8]

The speed limit from Geelong to Melbourne is still 100 on a road built to a 110 standard. The pollies won't raise it to 110 because the TAC (using stats they pulled out of their behinds) recon if they did crashes would increase by 20% or something. On a 3 lane straight piece of road on flat ground. What an absolute load of garbage. It would make zero difference, and everyone knows it.

They are just scared those 3 cash cow cameras on the road would lose them money.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Australian roads are so inconsistent. There is a road near my house that should by all rights have a speed limit of at least 80km/h but it is limited to 60km/h. A few kms away there is a road that has a speed limit of 90km/h but it looks like a goat track... should have a speed limit of 60km/h.

I just don't get it.

[Citroënbender]

The thing which might help our road safety is all-round respect. We're a nation who are selfish from the top down.

If Japan is relying on various manifestations of respect to get their limits up safely, perhaps that is where we should start looking.

[Junkyard-Dog]

So true. You can really tell human nature when you see people in traffic. Everyone is selfish, won't let people merge and they cut each other off just to get one car's length ahead. It's bizarre.

Makes me miss living in the country.

[simon varley]

after driving most of my way home on relatively good quality sealed roads at less than 80kph, I can at least finish the last 10kms or so on unsealed gravel at 100

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by marty351

A tax on light trucks?

[marty351]

Read the post... "light trucks".

[ljf12]

Originally Posted by bangm001

But where would we find the extra funds to make up for loss of revenue!

Easy, video the 90% of road users that can’t be bothered stopping at stop signs.

[Citroënbender]

Do the Japanese road rules have a large number of hardly-ever-enforced regs? Just curious.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by bangm001

But where would we find the extra funds to make up for loss of revenue!

The fine for too slow in the fast lane, too long in the fast lane, and keep left unless overtaking


All much more dangerous than 10% over the limit, and policable - albeit by humans

[Franco Cozzo]

We should remove all the speed limits everywhere, and those who survive have won

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

We should remove all the speed limits everywhere, and those who survive have won

You've driven in the Middle East or Russia, then?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

You've driven in the Middle East or Russia, then?

Yep - Melbourne's northern suburbs!

Broadlebbos!

[simon varley]

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_s...United_Kingdom

On 25 November 1965 the government announced that a temporary 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit would be applied to sections of motorway (there were 350 miles (560 km) of it at that time) affected by fog, ice or snow and that a general maximum speed limit of 70 mph (113 km/h) would be applied to all otherwise unrestricted roads, including motorways, for a trial period of four months starting just before Christmas.[12] The four-month trial 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit on 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of previously unrestricted roads and motorways was introduced at noon on 22 December 1965.[56] Also on that day, the power for the police to apply advisory speed limits of 30 mph (48 km/h) to motorways affected by bad weather was also introduced. The advisory limit was activated by the use of flashing amber lights placed at 1 mile (1.6 km) intervals along the motorways.[56]
In April 1966 Barbara Castle, the new Minister of Transport, decided to extend the experimental 70 mph (113 km/h) limit for a further two months to allow the Road Research Laboratory (RRL) time to collect data as there was still no conclusive evidence of its effectiveness.[57] In May 1966 Barbara Castle extended the experimental period by a further fifteen months to 3 September 1967 as "the case is not proven" but there were signs of crash rate reduction

so even back then, they were desperately trying to fabricate evidence that speed kills, despite facts showing otherwise

[kmav23]

Cars will be semi become autonomous or semi autonomous on highways

You can then increase the speeds of cars.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by kmav23

Cars will be semi become autonomous or semi autonomous on highways

You can then increase the speeds of cars.

not if the speed limit is not raised
not if the car is not built to travel economically at set speed