BarnacleBob Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 What does everyone think of the DfT proposal to include motorhomes within a new motorway speed limit for all HGV 3.5 - 7.5 tonnes? Have a look at the consultation document at www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/2010-06, and before you say " it doesn't bother me because I don't like to do more than 55-60mph anyway", think of the effect of having all types of HGVs between 3500 - 7500kgs travelling along at 56-60m ph on our very crowded motorways in addition to all HGVs that are 7500kgs and above. If you are over 3500kgs gross you will not be able to overtake without exceeding the limit - that is if you can overtake at all without going into the outside lane which you will not be allowed to use if the new limit is introduced. It seems to me that, despite what the DfT say in their consultation document, motorhomes and other vehicles will suffer increased congestion of the nearside and middle lanes of our motorways if this proposal becomes law. More accidents are very likely to happen as a result. Would this be a good cause for MMM magazine to take up with the DfT on behalf of all motorhome users? I think so. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Hi Bob This was covered not long back on the forum I seem to recall ... if I can get the search to work I'll try to hunt it out! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 I would find it restrictive and could lead to congestion. I normally travel at about 60-65mph as this allows the use of 6th gear and hence gives the smoothest ride and I presume good economy. We do sometimes amble along at 50-55mph but at this speed find you often need to change gear so the ride is less relaxing. As to being stuck in the slow lane, this would lead to bunching of vehicles and tailgating which cannot be considered safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Just to be clear (not being pedantic) the change, if introduced, will affect those vehicles that are over 3501kgs not 3500kgs up only a slight difference but an important difference as those up to 3500 will not be affected as I understand it. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 This is soooo annoying! We already have compulsory speed limiters on all goods vehicles over 3.5T registered after 1st October 2001 and frankly at 56mph I frequently lose the will to live, particularly when being passed by foreign HGV's that have limiters set 5mph above ours! Ironically our older trucks do not have to be limited and these are very popular except when customers are travelling to within the M25 where due to Low Emission Zone they cannot go. Even more ironic is that the annaul tax (VED) for the vehicles over 3.5T but not exceeding 7.5T is only £165 per year while our 3.5T and lower vans are £185. What we can tell from this is that the European pillocks that think up the speed limits (and it was them) have even less common sense than the Department for Transport or The Treasury. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Basil - 2010-03-15 4:53 PM Just to be clear (not being pedantic) the change, if introduced, will affect those vehicles that are over 3501kgs not 3500kgs up only a slight difference but an important difference as those up to 3500 will not be affected as I understand it. Bas I agree veicles 3500kgs or less will not be subjest to the 60mph limit and will continue to be able to use the outside lane if they want to. However they may find the extra congestion on the other two lanes very frustrating. So 3500kgs and less are likely to be affected anyway ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosbotham Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Can't say it would concern me because towing a car trailer, we're restricted to that anyway. Just to note that at 60mph actual, your speedo is probably indicating 65mph...check your satnav and you'll see what I mean. So if you cruise with your speedo at 70, having to drop to "real" 60 probably isn't as much difference as you'd expect. Also, because HGVs are limited at 56, we tend to find we overtake most anyway. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirage Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 This futher adds to the suspician that Motorhomes over 3500Kgs are dead in the water. There are more and more rules and complicated tolls abroad to deal with, sell sell before you the market dries up altogether for these monsters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmbeedee Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 euroserv - 2010-03-15 6:04 PM This is soooo annoying! We already have compulsory speed limiters on all goods vehicles over 3.5T registered after 1st October 2001 and frankly at 56mph I frequently lose the will to live, particularly when being passed by foreign HGV's that have limiters set 5mph above ours! Ironically our older trucks do not have to be limited and these are very popular except when customers are travelling to within the M25 where due to Low Emission Zone they cannot go. Even more ironic is that the annaul tax (VED) for the vehicles over 3.5T but not exceeding 7.5T is only £165 per year while our 3.5T and lower vans are £185. What we can tell from this is that the European pillocks that think up the speed limits (and it was them) have even less common sense than the Department for Transport or The Treasury. Nick If it is the "european pillocks" who have set these limits, how come foreign HGV's have limiters set 5 mph above ours? Is this another case of us following the EU rules blindly whereas others interpret them with (a modicum) of "common"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffers Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 emmbeedee - 2010-03-15 8:41 PM euroserv - 2010-03-15 6:04 PM This is soooo annoying! We already have compulsory speed limiters on all goods vehicles over 3.5T registered after 1st October 2001 and frankly at 56mph I frequently lose the will to live, particularly when being passed by foreign HGV's that have limiters set 5mph above ours! Ironically our older trucks do not have to be limited and these are very popular except when customers are travelling to within the M25 where due to Low Emission Zone they cannot go. Even more ironic is that the annaul tax (VED) for the vehicles over 3.5T but not exceeding 7.5T is only £165 per year while our 3.5T and lower vans are £185. What we can tell from this is that the European pillocks that think up the speed limits (and it was them) have even less common sense than the Department for Transport or The Treasury. Nick If it is the "european pillocks" who have set these limits, how come foreign HGV's have limiters set 5 mph above ours? Is this another case of us following the EU rules blindly whereas others interpret them with (a modicum) of "common"? or simply a matter of brits and the brit [ie murdoch - yank / oz] media falling over themselves to blame brit obsessive bureaucracy onto the hated europeans rather than own up to being a bunch of self important pillocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffers Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 mirage - 2010-03-15 8:30 PM This futher adds to the suspician that Motorhomes over 3500Kgs are dead in the water. There are more and more rules and complicated tolls abroad to deal with, sell sell before you the market dries up altogether for these monsters. with apologies to all owners of 'these monsters' I can't say that I will be sorry to see the back of them, their proliferation seems to play a big part in local authorities and residents adverse reaction to motorhomes in general resulting in an increase in both parking restrictions and camping charges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Speaking as the owner of a `monster`, if anybody wants to take the ignition keys from me, they will have to drag them from my cold.dead hand. If motorhomes are getting a bad press, then it is down to the greedy, selfish, ignorant owners. Just look at what has been happening in Europe this winter. My only worry is that should they be restricted in Europe, they will winter in the UK and cause the same problems closer to home. Birch them I say. >:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Not every motorhome over 3500KGs is a "monster". Mine is 4200KGS MAM, 7 metres long and a panel van conversion. The new rules, if implemented will not bother me personally as I cruise at 60MPH on the motorway anyway and the left hand lane is "home" to my camper, mixing it with trucks is not a problem as they are limited to 56MPH not 60. I'm not convinced that it will lead to more congestion of the left hand and or middle lanes either, the numbers of motorohmes on the road in the UK may be increasing but they still make up a small percentage of the day to day traffic. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave G Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 duffers - 2010-03-15 9:02 PM with apologies to all owners of 'these monsters' I can't say that I will be sorry to see the back of them, their proliferation seems to play a big part in local authorities and residents adverse reaction to motorhomes in general resulting in an increase in both parking restrictions and camping charges I take the other view, that the smaller motorhomes, parking up in Car parks and "wildcamping" do more to alienate local authorities than the "monster" motorhomes which have to be more selective about where they park and decide to camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted March 16, 2010 Author Share Posted March 16, 2010 davenewell@home - 2010-03-16 7:32 AM Not every motorhome over 3500KGs is a "monster". Mine is 4200KGS MAM, 7 metres long and a panel van conversion. The new rules, if implemented will not bother me personally as I cruise at 60MPH on the motorway anyway and the left hand lane is "home" to my camper, mixing it with trucks is not a problem as they are limited to 56MPH not 60. I'm not convinced that it will lead to more congestion of the left hand and or middle lanes either, the numbers of motorohmes on the road in the UK may be increasing but they still make up a small percentage of the day to day traffic. D. I think you may have missed the point that all vehicles between 3500 - 7500kgs will be restricted to 60mph and banned from the outside lane. The DfT admits that it does not really know how many vehicles are in this band. I am pretty sure that you will find it not so easy to overtake 56mph vehicles if this new limit is introduced. That is why I have put in an objection to the DfT and recommend all other motorhomers to do the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Decorator Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 It will not affect us, we mostly only use the left hand lane and mix with the trucks unless it can be seen to be getting too difficult which can easily be spotted well before it gets too tight. We have also I think have never used the outside lane. Its never been our mode of driving, even by car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 I retired early a year ago after having hectic jobs with a certain amount of pressure, followed by running my own little business. After 12 months, I can categorically say that I do nothing at speed now. Those days are over and life in the slow lane is bliss. I could not care less what speed limits are applied as I will still get to my destination in the end. Half of the time, all motorway lanes contain traffic averaging less than 40 mph anyway (apart from quiet times). Chill out people. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 BarnacleBob - 2010-03-16 8:35 AM davenewell@home - 2010-03-16 7:32 AM Not every motorhome over 3500KGs is a "monster". Mine is 4200KGS MAM, 7 metres long and a panel van conversion. The new rules, if implemented will not bother me personally as I cruise at 60MPH on the motorway anyway and the left hand lane is "home" to my camper, mixing it with trucks is not a problem as they are limited to 56MPH not 60. I'm not convinced that it will lead to more congestion of the left hand and or middle lanes either, the numbers of motorohmes on the road in the UK may be increasing but they still make up a small percentage of the day to day traffic. D. I think you may have missed the point that all vehicles between 3500 - 7500kgs will be restricted to 60mph and banned from the outside lane. The DfT admits that it does not really know how many vehicles are in this band. I am pretty sure that you will find it not so easy to overtake 56mph vehicles if this new limit is introduced. That is why I have put in an objection to the DfT and recommend all other motorhomers to do the same Dave has interpreted everything perfectly well, what most people don't realise is that any VEHICLE, whether it be car, bus,lorry,tank,lawn mower etc etc with an unladen weight of 3050kg and above, are subject to these laws already, and have been for many a year. However, most motorhomers believe they are not affected by this because they are special. Also I fear you may have inadvertently gone into panic mode when you say that " I am pretty sure that you will find it not so easy to overtake 56mph vehicles if this new limit is introduced." vehicles are not going to be physically limited, just a lower speed limit implemented. And I am willing to bet my last million that one or two people may stray over the 60 limit whilst overtaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisturx Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Cars are restricted to 70 mph on motorways. Barring motorway congestion, most car drivers now treat the limit as the minimum speed to travel ! 80 to 85 mph is the norm. White van man being one of the faster vehicles on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 donna miller - 2010-03-16 3:13 PM Dave has interpreted everything perfectly well, what most people don't realise is that any VEHICLE, whether it be car, bus,lorry,tank,lawn mower etc etc with an unladen weight of 3050kg and above, are subject to these laws already, and have been for many a year. However, most motorhomers believe they are not affected by this because they are special. Motorhomes with a ULW of greater than 3050kg are limited to 50mph on single carriageway roads and to 60mph on dual carriageways. However the current motorway speed limit for motorhomes of any weight (under 12m long, not towing) is the same as for cars, 70mph. Similarly, motorhomes of any weight are not currently banned from the 3rd lane of motorways. I understand that consideration is to be given to dropping the 3050kg ULW criterion and replacing it with 3500kg GVW, which is far more sensible. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dikyenfo Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 WVM will have to have a limiter fitted in the future and that will be that. Also dont forget that these speeds are law already in france and apply to caravans as well. Anyone without the requisite speed rondels on the trailer and MH [which is different one to the other] will be in danger of copping it. Got mine on see speed stickers on web. and CC webpage for details. GTM and MPVM will apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Decorator Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 BarnicleBob suggest 'think of all the others', why? I'm on the side of 747, the inside really is bliss. This doesn't mean that one has to go slow, but it does follow that the L/H lane is mostly empty and therefore a 'much better way of lfe' and, apart from the odd parked vehicle there is always free space to the left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_C Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 dikyenfo - 2010-03-16 4:14 PM WVM will have to have a limiter fitted in the future and that will be that. Also dont forget that these speeds are law already in france and apply to caravans as well. Anyone without the requisite speed rondels on the trailer and MH [which is different one to the other] will be in danger of copping it. Got mine on see speed stickers on web. and CC webpage for details. GTM and MPVM will apply. It was my understanding the the requirement for speed discs in France only applied to French registered vehicles. Also I understood that French speed limits were as follows (unless lower limits are indicated) for passenger vehicles between 3,500kg and 12,000kg: Autoroutes: 110kph Dual carriageways: 100kph Other roads: 80kph Happy to be corrected if anyone knows different. AndyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 BarnacleBob - 2010-03-15 6:25 PM I agree veicles 3500kgs or less will not be subjest to the 60mph limit and will continue to be able to use the outside lane if they want to. However they may find the extra congestion on the other two lanes very frustrating. So 3500kgs and less are likely to be affected anyway ! Sorry I meant affected by the legislation! But I must say I don't see much affect on the road either. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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