15 March 2004
Speed: the lorry anomaly
After being aroused from my slumber by Breakfast TV every morning, the first thing that comes to my consciousness is often news that a lorry has overturned and is blocking a major route. If it has not overturned, it has jack-knifed or hit something, often in perfect weather at a time when few other drivers are on the roads.
In a crash, it hardly needs saying that being hit by a lorry is far worse than being hit by a car. And frustration caused by lorry accidents often leads to further accidents elsewhere. What is being done to combat this clear and present danger?
We are constantly told that speed is the major cause of road accidents. If this were really true, why are no attempts being made to enforce HGV speed limits? Readers may be surprised to hear that on a single carriageway this is 40mph; on a dual carriageway, 50mph.
Cynically, speed cameras are not set to catch lorries speeding. They are set to catch the safest drivers on the road: experienced people driving well-appointed cars.
It may be true that most people would not want lorries to process down single carriageways at 40mph or below, because of the congestion it would cause. But we cannot say that and maintain at the same time that exceeding speed limits is the prime cause of accidents.
In fact that regular early morning chaos caused by rogue HGVs does not happen because of speed. Like almost every accident, it happens because of tiredness, incompetence or inattention by the driver.
What is being done to combat this clear and present danger? Practically, nothing.
Excitement for older people
Famous Norfolk explorer Richard “Volcano” Meek has become concerned about the lack of exciting opportunities for older people in the county. He writes: “I watched that programme on TV where Jamie Oliver took 15 school leavers and trained them to run a restaurant. Great idea, but once again the needs of an older group have been neglected. I am tired of hearing people talk about the problems young people face finding jobs, when we have a group in our midst with an even higher rate of unemployment. “Who is looking out for the interests of the over-90s? Few of these are gainfully employed. They are too old even for the police or fire service and are often barred from tree surgery by prohibitive insurance premiums.”
In the spirit of Jamie Oliver, Mr Meek is now offering 15 fit nonagenarians a chance to join his next expedition into the remote fastness of Foxley Woods, not far from the mysterious village of Guist.
He says: “This being the oldest natural woodland in Norfolk, we hope to contact the surviving members of the original indigenous inhabitants of Norfolk, who are said to live there in small nomadic family groups.
“The expedition is being sponsored by a well known manufacturer of denture fixative, and applicants should not only be fit and able to breathe unassisted but be capable of chewing a Norfolk Biffin for publicity purposes.
“Interviews will be held on the first Thursday in April at our Fustyweed base camp.”
Making life difficult for strangers
I wrote a few weeks ago about the bizarre banning of a right turn from Thorpe Road, Norwich, into Riverside Road.
No-one has been able to explain why this is a good thing, but one reader did point out how difficult it was for anyone but a local to follow the diversion signs through a residential area – perhaps because the council doesn’t really want extra traffic using it. So what does the council want?
You might think it would want to help strangers find their way round the city, but apparently not. Imagine a couple of people – say the parents of a university student – attempting to leave Norwich by driving down Unthank Road, away from the golden triangle, where many students live.
They reach the ring road, where they should turn left so that they can join the A11 out of town. Only one problem. There is no way of telling it is the ring road, or a way out. So of course they continue straight ahead and eventually reach the A11 – at a point where they cannot turn right on to it and have to head back into the city again.
All it needs now is a sign saying “Byroad”, and it will be in line with the rest of the county.