 Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Whaley Bridge
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Anyone driving out and about over the past few weeks will have noticed the plethora of unsightly yellow signs that have appeared throughout our scenic National Park informing motorists that we should all be very careful and should take extra care because we are in a “Biker Crash Zone” and that there have been horrendous numbers of accidents involving motorbikes over the past few years.
Well I have to say this is, in my humble opinion, just a huge waste of public money. Firstly the signs are unsightly and are simply additional litter in our otherwise picturesque county and secondly they will make absolutely no difference whatsoever.
Whichever committee thought of putting them up must be run by people who have no idea what happens in the real world. Motorbikers will not slow down on country roads simply because there are signs telling them they may get hurt if they go fast. Did anyone think to ask the Bikers heading to Matlock their opinions before the signs were ordered? I doubt it, and I can bet the biker’s response if they did.
The signs are everywhere yet I still witnessed the police scraping a couple of motorbikes off the road in Ashbourne yesterday.
The signs are unsightly and are a waste of money; they should be removed immediately.
Rant over.
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 Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 18/03/2009(UTC) Posts: 280 ![Man]( "Man")  Location: Whaley Bridge Thanks: 3 times
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There are those who choose to ride very fast and those who don't. The colour-coordinated sports biker (call em what you like) do give the rest of the bikers a bad name. I agree any number of signs will not work, but the police have now got new gadgets out on certain roads (cat & fiddle & others). This checks your average speed over a distance by reading your number plate so they know what you are driving or riding and the maximum speed for your vehicle. Whether you agree with this or not Big Brother (with a pointy hat) is watching you even more now!
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 Rank: *Banned*
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Joined: 22/02/2009(UTC)
Posts: 1,461
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It is not the first time DCC have put up these signs and I tend to agree that they will do no good but it is the usual road safety campaign at this time of year.
The Bikers will take to the roads with the majority racing all over the Derbyshire countryside, they come from far and wide just for the thrill, what is guaranteed is that a few more will tragically kill themselves, a few signs won't stop them,after all they know best.
The only answer is trying to educate those that do abuse this right to freedom or perhaps for those that are really endangering their own and others lives and are caught they should lose their driving license for life, perhaps this may bring it home to others that what they are doing is way out of order.
Jake Edited by user 15 April 2009 11:29:59(UTC)
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 Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 18/03/2009(UTC)
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Location: Combs
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These signs do make me take notice-they are positioned mainly on tight bends where bikes can slide on red diesel and sheep poo. They would certainlymake me take a little more care-however I am old enough to know anyway.
The riders that need to take heed, wont however as they are clearly invincible as we all were years ago :)
cheers
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 30/04/2009(UTC)
Posts: 329
Location: High Peak
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There is also the ridiculous lowering of speed limits to 50 on all roads in and around the High peak. I was watching the Parliament programme last week where the Minister said that it wouldn't be a blanket coverage and would only be used when justified. How come then when you go up the Leek rad out of Buxton the limit is 50 MPH and when you cross into Staffordshire near Flash the limit is 60MPH. It is the same meandering road with some dips but on this side Derbyshire want to slap our wrists and tell us we can't go faster than a Model T Ford. It isn't speed which kills, it is inappropriate speed and no amount of reducing the limit will stop people who wish to speed. Why not make it 10 MPH (in winter this not much less than you do anyway), is this so they can get out there with their guns and raise a few quid. Motorways have the least accidents per mile x volume of traffic and look at the speed of the traffic on them. Today on the M6 the rain was lashing it down and the traffic reduced to 50-55, a sign of intelligence over Big Brother.
Please, treat people like adults for God's sake.
Mind you, they have to pay for stupid schemes like speed humps and even better, speed humps on hills! The mind boggles.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 18/03/2009(UTC) Posts: 280 ![Man]( "Man") Location: Whaley Bridge Thanks: 3 times
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The roads with 50mph speed limits on them have side roads which are a lot narrower and twistier and their speed limit is 60mph where is the logic there?
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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 11/05/2009(UTC)
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Location: Whaley Bridge
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One of the signs says "its 50 for a reason". It doesn't actually say what the reason is. I think the reason is that they would like to lower the speed limits because the police don't have the resources to monitor dangerous drivers. I think its very simplistic to say that going fast is dangerous, but I guess as with everything in modern society we have to cater for the least capable (mentally and physically) in all aspects of our lives. I would like to see the introduction of a tiered driving licence. Each road would be given a colour, much like ski-ing Green, Red, Black. Each driver would need to achieve the appropriate licence to drive on a particular road. I would also like to see the introduction of appropriate sentences for dangerous driving. Aparrently, Where death results from an offence involving driving unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured, the maximum sentence possible is two years.... Does that sentence really stop some young lad from driving an uninsured car whilst smoking dope and overtaking on a blind bend? I dont think so.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
Joined: 30/04/2009(UTC)
Posts: 329
Location: High Peak
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Driving past a school at 3.20 in the afternoon at 25 MPH is too fast but at 3.20 in the morning what is wrong with 40 MPH? A speed camera would nick you doing the latter. However if you had had a liquid lunch of say, 5 pints and drove past the school at 3.20 in the afternoon you wouldn't get flashed but you would be extremely dangerous.
What it needs is for this (and any subsequent) government to stop shafting the motorist, seeing them as a cash cow and reinvesting taxes into better road surfaces, more traffic police who use discretion etc.
I won't hold my breath.
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