What would you do if you saw a 20mph variable speed limit on a motorway?

I had a 20mph limit a few weeks ago for about 10 minutes. Signs stated "oncoming vehicle'. No oncoming vehicle. I did 20mph, lots of others didn't, and lots of speed cameras were flashing them.
 
ShivP said:
I had a 20mph limit a few weeks ago for about 10 minutes. Signs stated "oncoming vehicle'. No oncoming vehicle. I did 20mph, lots of others didn't, and lots of speed cameras were flashing them.
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It's a bit ridiculous TBH. A 70mph road is suddenly 20, you miss a sign and suddenly your going 50mph over the limit which is a court visit and likely a ban.

An oncoming vehicle, but it's probably stopped on the hard shoulder, roundabout, or slip road miles ahead. If someone was driving the wrong way in a lane they would stop traffic completely. Health and safety runs this country.
 
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Nasher said:
It's a bit ridiculous TBH. A 70mph road is suddenly 20, you miss a sign and suddenly your going 50mph over the limit which is a court visit and likely a ban.

An oncoming vehicle, but it's probably stopped on the hard shoulder, roundabout, or slip road miles ahead. If someone was driving the wrong way in a lane they would stop traffic completely. Health and safety runs this country.
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They might do eventually but how are they going to magically have enough resources there as soon as it's spotted to road block a motorway?
 
Nasher said:
It's a bit ridiculous TBH. A 70mph road is suddenly 20, you miss a sign and suddenly your going 50mph over the limit which is a court visit and likely a ban.
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Those signs aren’t exactly subtle, they’re visible from a long way back. Anyone who claims they didn’t see one should probably be done for driving without due care and attention as well as speeding.
 
Nasher said:
It's a bit ridiculous TBH. A 70mph road is suddenly 20, you miss a sign and suddenly your going 50mph over the limit which is a court visit and likely a ban.

An oncoming vehicle, but it's probably stopped on the hard shoulder, roundabout, or slip road miles ahead. If someone was driving the wrong way in a lane they would stop traffic completely. Health and safety runs this country.
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I absolutely agree. Nothing is spelling out the ruination of this nation more, than the act of...illuminating a sign on a motorway to let drivers know there's an oncoming vehicle in their carriageway.
 
Feek said:
Those signs aren’t exactly subtle, they’re visible from a long way back. Anyone who claims they didn’t see one should probably be done for driving without due care and attention as well as speeding.
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Funnily enough someone got away with exactly this defense a couple of weeks ago in the local paper. They still got a fine but dodged the points because apparently they had evidence their view of the signs was blocked by hgvs
 
The number of times I've seen variable speed limits in effect long after they should have been turned off... and someone in this country thought smart motorways were a good idea...
 
Rroff said:
The number of times I've seen variable speed limits in effect long after they should have been turned off... and someone in this country thought smart motorways were a good idea...
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Only some politicians and contractors installing them, everyone else said it was a dumb idea and still do.
 
I saw 20mph variable limit on the m25 heading to Gatwick nearly 10 years ago (on the way to honeymoon) with 'Warning Oncoming Vehicle'. That was worrying, think most people slowed to 30/40ish from memory. Didn't see an oncoming vehicle though and fortunately never seen the sign before or since.
 
Nasher said:
It's a bit ridiculous TBH. A 70mph road is suddenly 20, you miss a sign and suddenly your going 50mph over the limit which is a court visit and likely a ban.

An oncoming vehicle, but it's probably stopped on the hard shoulder, roundabout, or slip road miles ahead. If someone was driving the wrong way in a lane they would stop traffic completely. Health and safety runs this country.
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If you miss one of those signs then you shouldn't be driving.
 
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iamdjdz said:
I saw 20mph variable limit on the m25 heading to Gatwick nearly 10 years ago (on the way to honeymoon) with 'Warning Oncoming Vehicle'. That was worrying, think most people slowed to 30/40ish from memory. Didn't see an oncoming vehicle though and fortunately never seen the sign before or since.
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Would that possibly be under controlled conditions to get emergency services to the site of an accident if the other carriageway is completely gridlocked? A rolling roadblock up the road with subsequent traffic slowed right down so it doesn't barrel up to the back of it?

The one I see often but have never seen any evidence of there being an actual problem is the ubiquitous "Report of pedestrians".
 
I'd assume the traffic camera department budget was a bit short this month, and there was one sitting there waiting for me to help contribute.

I.e. - I'd slow down to 20, shout a few expletives, apologise to the wife and put up with it.
 
Bug One said:
I'd assume the traffic camera department budget was a bit short this month, and there was one sitting there waiting for me to help contribute.

I.e. - I'd slow down to 20, shout a few expletives, apologise to the wife and put up with it.
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Nice man, then we can go shout at the waitresses in Zizzi's
 
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