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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to drive at 70mph on this road?

114 replies

georgeisadinosaur · 10/05/2018 18:27

Rubbish diagram attached.

A road near me that I regularly use, has two lanes on one side but only one lane on the opposite (to go other way).

I have always driven (up to) 70mph on the left side, but 60mph on the right side. Was driving with a friend earlier who was shocked and said she only drives 60 both sides as it isn't a dual carriageway without two lanes on both sides of the central reservation?

Am I wrong??

OP posts:
CheeseAndTomSandwich · 10/05/2018 20:54

Can you do a screen shot of it from google earth?

Dahlietta · 10/05/2018 20:56

I don't think the OP's confusion is about what the national speed limit is; it's about whether or not the road in question is a dual carriageway.

ErrolTheDragon · 10/05/2018 20:59

One way to confirm if it's a dual carriageway is if there's an end of dual carriageway sign a bit before the barrier endsGrin

higgyyellow · 10/05/2018 21:00

I don't think the OP's confusion is about what the national speed limit is; it's about whether or not the road in question is a dual carriageway.

The confusion is about what the national speed limit is. She doesn't know what the NSL is on that road. She has been doing 70 in one direction and 60 in the other. If she knew what the NSL forthatroad was she would not be doing different speed according to direction.

SinceWhenDid · 10/05/2018 21:01

Blueskyinmarch - if it's the A9 overtaking lanes near Kingussie etc then most definitely not 70.

Re the OP if it is 70 wouldn't there be 60 signs at the end of the section?

NoodlesLivesHere · 10/05/2018 21:07

@higgyyellow this thread shows quite clearly there are people driving on the roads who do exactly this. They interpret despite there being a factual document that all drivers should be familiar with that clearly outlines the maximum speeds on a variety of roads for different vehicles.

Sadly the driving test isn't idiot proof enough to keep these people off the roads so maybe a great big red circled sign with a clear number would be definitive enough for them to know what speed is the maximum in optimum driving conditions.

I agree there's nothing to interpret but that doesn't stop people from doing so.

CAAKE · 10/05/2018 21:21

This is exactly why we shouldn't have a 'national speed limit applies' sign. It's open to interpretation by those who don't know the highway code meaning some will drive too fast/aggressively thinking it's actually a faster road than it should be. We should just have the big red circle with a number. No ambiguity then.

I agree! I'm Australian and have just done my test over here in the UK. The "interpretation" aspect of the national speed limit system here is ridiculous. In Australia there is a sign on every road that tells you exactly the speed you should go. No looking for grass verges or dividers or street lights in villages to make an interpretation of the speed limit for yourself.

Imchlibob · 10/05/2018 21:36

No, the national speed limit signs can't and shouldn't be just a number.

The national speed limit is different for some larger and towing vehicles anyway so having a number would be confusing for drivers of those vehicles.

Plus it was done deliberately without a number so that the government would have freedom in the future to revise the speed limit up or down without having to pay for thousands of replacement signs.

caroldecker · 10/05/2018 21:42

We should just have the big red circle with a number
How often do these signs need to appear? The reason we have national speed limits (60 or 70 and 30) is to avoid too many signs. Only other speed limits need to be signposted.

IWantMyHatBack · 10/05/2018 22:47

"
Plus it was done deliberately without a number so that the government would have freedom in the future to revise the speed limit up or down without having to pay for thousands of replacement signs."

This.

Also, NSL is just the default where no other speed limit applies. All country roads around here are NSL, but nobody in their right mind would do anything near that. Its about driving to conditions

Pizzame · 10/05/2018 22:57

The fact that so many people think NSL is 60 explains a lot about why so many drivers pootle along at 60 down the middle lane on the motorway 🤦

Kathy84 · 10/05/2018 23:02

I don't think the OP's confusion is about what the national speed limit is; it's about whether or not the road in question is a dual carriageway.
I agree with this. I think a lot of drivers confuse the word 'carriageway' with the word 'lane'.

MiniMum97 · 10/05/2018 23:19

I'm pretty sure that if one side is single carriageway then the limit in both sides is 60. I believe I learnt this when learning to drive.

Kathy84 · 10/05/2018 23:26

I'm pretty sure that if one side is single carriageway then the limit in both sides is 60.
That proves my point. Either both sides are single carriageway, or both sides are dual carriageway. The carriageway is the carriageway.

UrgentScurryfunge · 10/05/2018 23:46

There's a single lane dual carriageway near me (long slip road) so that's 70 maximum (depending on vehicle, and best to consider the bend...) on both sides. It forms into a tripple lane dual carriageway, so still 70 (with same vehicle related restrictions)

No divide other than lane markings is a single carriageway so 60 maximum for a car.

It's surprising how many people don't understand that dual carriageway/ single carriageway is about separation (or lack of) of the traffic flows and not the number of lanes on the carriageway(s)

BlondeB83 · 11/05/2018 00:13

If it’s a dual carriageway, national speed limit is 70, if not, it’s 60.

caroldecker · 11/05/2018 00:32

Blonde Unless its 30

higgyyellow · 11/05/2018 00:34

I'm pretty sure that if one side is single carriageway then the limit in both sides is 60. I believe I learnt this when learning to drive.

Go back and have some refresher lessons, buy a theory test book as well.

What you have said makes no sense. One side of a road can't be single carriageway and the other not. It is either single carriageway or dual carriageway.

wombat1a · 11/05/2018 01:38

Speed limit should be the same on both sides of the road, and since there is a metal barrier in the middle this should define the road as a dual carriageway (regardless of the number of lanes) then it seems more likely it is 70 on both sides.

safariboot · 11/05/2018 03:32

I can understand being confused as to whether it's a single or dual carriageway if it's just something like a crash barrier between opposing lanes and there's no kerb. From the 2002 regs a central reservation can be

"(a) any land between the carriageways of a road comprising two carriageways; or

(b) any permanent work (other than a traffic island) in the carriageway of a road, which separates the carriageway or, as the case may be, the part of the carriageway which is to be used by traffic moving in one direction from the carriageway or part of the carriageway which is to be used (whether at all times or at particular times only) by traffic moving in the other direction;"

Which I think means that a crash barrier alone is sufficient to make a road a dual carriageway.

As mentioned, number of lanes isn't a factor. Though rare, a dual carriageway can have just one lane each way. Unless signs indicate otherwise, roads have the same speed limit both ways!

Kursk · 11/05/2018 03:45

Drive at a speed appropriate to the road and your ability

FawkesAgain · 11/05/2018 03:46

The crash barrier does men it's 70 mp/h in either direction unless specified otherwise.

Original poster
georgeisadinosaur · 11/05/2018 06:05

Drive at a speed appropriate to the road and your ability

Well yes I obviously don't drive the maximum at all times on roads I can use common sense what I mean is that this is what I will drive up to, especially given a large proportion is a long straight road.

Yes I will try to find a google earth photo!

OP posts:
larrygrylls · 11/05/2018 06:15

People have become law obsessessed. This is not, actually, conducive to good safe driving. Sadly Orwellian surveillance means that the speed limit is the same on a dry morning at 5AM with no traffic and fantastic visibility as in a rainy dark night in rush hour.

Police used to interpret the law and stop dangerous rather than fast drivers (up to a point). Now it is a money game.

Knowing clause 8.1.4 (e.g) of the Highway Code does not a safe driver make. Driving st a sensible speed for the road and conditions does.

Relating this to the OP’s post. Do you feel 100% safe at 70MPH? Could you stop in time if something unexpected happened? If the answer is yes, 70 is a good speed (although, if the limit is 60, you still risk 3 points and a fine).

newdaylight · 11/05/2018 06:21

Speed limit is 70 on both sides of that bit of road.

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