ok, if authorities are going to implement a silly speed like 40mph between Marylebone flyover (part of it is even 30mph) through westway up until white city turn off they better put in some average checking distance speed cameras, even when lets say friend of mine was doing 49mph as he cant go any faster people were still overtaking him doing dangerous speed of what i can only believe to be 70mph if not more…basically u cannot find anyone doing 40mph and it’s rare to see anyone doing below 50mph at 5am/6am in the morning. riding on that road if you’re roughly obiding by the speed limit is fucking dangerous, it would be ok if stupid cnts cagers where overtaking bikers properly but they don’t they they pass too close and almost cut in in front…what the fck? as if overtaking properly is so hard to do?? i personally have no problem with cars overtaking me i would actually congratulate and shake their hand for that if they do so in a normal, proper manner unlike tailgating someone until their stupid small tiny brain cells realise that i’m not going to fcking budge and speed up for them…absoulte utter c0cks, every fcking morning i have to deal with A40 and those inconsiderate assh0les i’m having to single out a truck or another slow car just to feel safe…
or am i missing something has the speed limit on A40 gone up and it’s everyones little secret
Average speed cameras don’t work at all on a bike and in a car all you have to do is change lanes at the checkpoints. Well documented on the news as well, making it common knowledge.
Edit: Not to mention if everybody was courteous and used the two lanes (or three, don’t know how many there are there) then there wouldn’t be a problem. Look at people’s attitude in France, its bloody brilliant. At the end of the day if your driving at 50mph in the left lane then it shouldn’t make a difference if someone makes progress past you 50-60mph. Probably why you are encouraged to use the left lane in your driving test, including the bus lanes, where possible.
ok, thanks for info, i’ve already known about them not working on bikes, however the whole thing about car changing lanes i didn’t know about so…it’s a good info i suppose. but that’s the only safest method i can think of…or bring it up to a higher speed because i realise why they are all driving fast because there are no side roads and its mostly three lane traffic surely it can be brought back to at least 50 or something… putting one off normal speed camera would be lethal…i mean this road would not be an issue for me but i ride on this road for work everyday on a work bike and if i go above 50mph…depending on what road it is i am very likely to get a dissiplinary…so i have to stick to the speed limit whilst dealing with everyone else’s impatience
I don’t know if you saw my edit above. As mentioned I agree speeding is dangerous in London because of people’s attitude rather than the speed.
I do think tailgating your friend is very wrong as it leads to frustration of both drivers making both parties more prone to accidents but its also bad practise to block off two lanes. If people do want to go at ridiculous speeds surely you want them long gone and not behind you.
sorry no i didn’t see your edit i was doing something else in the meantime…erm…whenever i’m on that road (it goes from 2 lanes onto 3) as soon as i see the very left lane come up i change straight away onto the very left i don’t even wait for those slip road markings i kind of cut them just to be on the very left…well that’s how i usually ride on a work bike…on my bike i’m normally going lets just say slightly faster and normally don’t block others even if they are in the fast lane i just had to moan about this…because i’ve had an utter shitty day at work…and need to off load some of my anger…it’s not even strictly speaking A40 lane related but that’s the only thing i can possibly moan about…
The reason it went down to 30 and then up to 40 is the because the expansion joints are fubared. I’m old enough to remember when it was a Motorway so 70. Most people still see it as that. We do not want any kind of Speed cameras on it no thank you. And sensible driving not sitting in the outside lane because you believe you are right and everyone else is wrong. Just the road fixing please. Any bets it will be will be fixed for the Olympic Zil lanes?
read my post above i don’t sit in the outside lane at all, at no point whatsoever, unless i’m on my own bike and then 99% of cagers can’t even catch upto me, and if they do and it does happen sometimes on motorways then i move over. so what if the lanes are fucked beyond recongnition people can still manage to do the top speed?
and i tell you what if some cager catches me on a bad day i will go to whoever and tell them to put either cameras or police patrol to calm evey f*cker down. quite frankly i don’t understand why this road is not being patrolled very early in the morning…so much revenue can be earned on this road…beyond belief how about you wake up tomorrow and take the route i take which i posted above and stick to 40mph in the very left lane and then tell me how you feel.
Anna I know how you feel as you are now putting up with the **** I had been putting up for 3 years on that road. I lost count how many times I nearly got taken out on that bit of road between Baker Street and the Paddington sliproad … just be careful along there. I managed to somehow survive :w00t: along with giving hand signals to cagers who cut me up, tailgated me etc etc…they didn’t seem to like it but I didn’t like their attitude towards me doing the speed limit either so feck them one dumbfeck in a Navara cut didn’t even bother overtaking me at half 6 in the morning he just got stuck to my numberplate for a bit then just went round me and cut in so bad i had to swerve towards the hard shoulder :crazy: so I showed him “the finger” which he obviously clearly saw as he braked and indicated and was pulling over. I was waiting behind him to pull over but he never did…shame …but then again i didn’t have too much time for roadside gossip
Hang in there girl, it’s frustrating i know but there is nothing more you can do rather than sticking to the speed limit :ermm:
I think the speed limits are outdated. They were set in the days where vehicles took ages to stop and had no safety features. I do understand in residential areas where you may hit a person the speed limit is 20/30mph but on a duel carriage way or motorway 60/70mph is a joke. The Germans have the right idea.
darling i remember you telling me about those…once i can be bothered i will probably plan out a different route i can take, to make it a calm experience for me btw few certain people at the places you’ve patrolled have been asking about you as to how you are setteling down…even guy at the petrol garage was asking about you hope you’re doing alright, i’ll be honest i was happy to take your route but things are changing and my route has changed and i’ve now got no margin for error if you know what i mean. anways i’m going to pm you as to who those people are but i’m sure you can guess who they are anyway
I totally sympathise with you here. I used to commute along the A40 including this stretch and it was always dangerous. Some people sticking to the limit, most at 50-60, and nutters at 70+. Such a dangerous stretch. Especially when it was all restricted down to 30 for repairs, some still doing 70. Glad I don’t have to use it any more. Although I know have to use Holloway Road for work, don’t get me staaarted on that!
They used to all be designed to read the front plate but I think there are a few newer ones that read the rear plate instead - there are some on the cat and fiddle if I remember right. Dunno where else they may have sprung up.
the front facing cameras work on numberplate recognition, so any vehicle without a front plate is invisible to them,
the rear facing ones at the cat & fiddle work, but there’s a short cut between the cameras which f*cks up the average speed but they did only cost £800,000
As we know and see on a daily basis the standard of driving/riding can be incredibly bad. Cars, White Man Vans, Addison Lees, two wheels - both un powered and powered.
Some people do not know any better, like the drivers who I talked about earlier who sit in the outside lane oblivious to what is happening around them. Some are arrogant and some just don’t care, and some think it is up to them to make everybody keep to just below the speed limit by stopping anyone getting by.
Which often leads to dangerous undertakes.
It is said it’s like a jungle out there. But I promise you, most of the jungles I’ve been to have been much more safer than our streets.
Sometimes speed limits are set so daft, it is very hard not to ignore them, and in the case of the Westway, they are really daft, no pedestrians, no pushbikes, three lanes of clear road, with the speed limit on the spur down to the roundabout near shepherds bush set at 50, ten more than the current 40 on the raised section.
There are two parts that currently have extra metal plates on the joins that bikes should avoid, but other than that, the road is safe (Although be cautious when very wet on the joins) when all the traffic is moving at similar speeds, of 50 to 60 or even 70, it only becomes an issue when as already pointed out other traffic is either going too slow, or someone is going way too fast and bullying others.
I have noticed over the years I have a natural speed, by that I mean if left to my own devices, the speed I think is OK for the road I am on, it tends to be 10mph over the normal speed limit but this does vary with conditions, for example I would think nothing of 70mph on the Westway, on the Kennington Rd I would normally be first away from the lights but happy to let others past me when I hit 40, there is no point going faster, it is rare to beat the lights at the war museum, but if I am in a side road with parked cars, pedestrians etc, even if it is 30mph, I would probably be doing under 30 and nearer 20.
Again in the case of the Westway, by publishing a 30 and now 40 limit in some ways they have made the road more dangerous.
Bob
PS My natural speed limit is higher than +10 on motorways or nice biking roads.
Sometimes speed limits are set so daft, it is very hard not to ignore them, and in the case of the Westway, they are really daft, no pedestrians, no pushbikes, three lanes of clear road, with the speed limit on the spur down to the roundabout near shepherds bush set at 50, ten more than the current 40 on the raised section.
There are two parts that currently have extra metal plates on the joins that bikes should avoid, but other than that, the road is safe (Although be cautious when very wet on the joins) when all the traffic is moving at similar speeds, of 50 to 60 or even 70, it only becomes an issue when as already pointed out other traffic is either going too slow, or someone is going way too fast and bullying others.
I have noticed over the years I have a natural speed, by that I mean if left to my own devices, the speed I think is OK for the road I am on, it tends to be 10mph over the normal speed limit but this does vary with conditions, for example I would think nothing of 70mph on the Westway, on the Kennington Rd I would normally be first away from the lights but happy to let others past me when I hit 40, there is no point going faster, it is rare to beat the lights at the war museum, but if I am in a side road with parked cars, pedestrians etc, even if it is 30mph, I would probably be doing under 30 and nearer 20.
Again in the case of the Westway, by publishing a 30 and now 40 limit in some ways they have made the road more dangerous.
Bob
PS My natural speed limit is higher than +10 on motorways or nice biking roads.
i just had to moan about this…because i’ve had an utter shitty day at work…and need to off load some of my anger…it’s not even strictly speaking A40 lane related but that’s the only thing i can possibly moan about…
how about you wake up tomorrow and take the route i take which i posted above and stick to 40mph in the very left lane and then tell me how you feel.
i remember you telling me about those…once i can be bothered i will probably plan out a different route i can take, to make it a calm experience for me 
hope you’re doing alright, i’ll be honest i was happy to take your route but things are changing and my route has changed and i’ve now got no margin for error if you know what i mean. anways i’m going to pm you as to who those people are but i’m sure you can guess who they are anyway
