Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

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TheJollyJimLad
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Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by TheJollyJimLad »

Todays Independent on Sunday reports on an innovative way to reduce speed using the strategic planting of trees as opposed to using speed cameras.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/motoring-news/tree-scheme-slows-down-fast-drivers-2053057.html


...and my response FWIW

http://lofidelitybicycleclub.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/horticulture-and-road-safety/

My solutions contain slightly more sarcasm :)
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rbrian
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by rbrian »

Well that's all well and good until the trees start jumping out at speeding motorists, blocking their view of the corner so they couldn't know it wasn't safe to go on the wrong side of the road, and causing accidents. Isn't that why so many have been cut down? :roll:
Cynic? No, an optimist tempered by experience.
thirdcrank
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by thirdcrank »

With apologies to Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see,
A speed cam lovely as a tree...
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anniesboy
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by anniesboy »

I gather the French refer to the avenues of plane trees as "widow makers".

Now that would reduce speed for some.
eileithyia
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by eileithyia »

Well I guess driving into a tree reduces speed.... Probably not a desirable way to brake though.
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TheJollyJimLad
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by TheJollyJimLad »

A lot of them apparently were planted by Napoleon to shade military movements.

I remember about 15 years ago a push to have them cut down as too many of them were leaping out and hitting motorists (which was met with uproar as I recall). Where there were two avenues, one was often removed to allow for road widening.

It is reported that approximately 90% of Plane trees have been removed from French roads.
SilverBadge
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by SilverBadge »

I suspect the effect is mainly the rapid change in angular location of the trees increases the sensation of speed, thus encouraging slower driving, though the narrowing effect and realisation that there is something big that can hit back may be sobering for some. Airport fire tenders had a disproportionate number of rollover accidents because on big wide runways there is little to provide suitable visual reference of speed or attempted turn radius.
Back in my TRRL days they were experimenting with psychological tricks with road markings. Bright idea 1: On the approach to roundabouts on trunk road roundabouts, paint transverse lines with a decreasing separation such that "correct" retardation causes the lines to pass under the vehicle at constant frequency, insufficient braking causes the lines to pass underneath increasingly rapidly. Clever huh? Bright idea 2: If Bright idea 1 is bright, how about overdoing the spacing decrease a shade, just to be oversafe on target braking. So, compare Bright idea 1 vs Bright idea 2 with a field trial at numerous sites. Get lots of data, analyse it and find that Bright idea 2 is significantly brighter than Bright idea 1. Then visit some of the test sites and find the contractors have painted all the lines equispaced . . . . . :roll:
thirdcrank
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by thirdcrank »

Another bright idea with the transverse yellow lines is to paint them so thick that that drivers crossing them feel a gentle drumming sensation of increasing frequency, while cyclists have their nuts shaken loose.
Vorpal
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by Vorpal »

thirdcrank wrote:while cyclists have their nuts shaken loose.


I had this image of... acorns falling out of a shaken tree. Does everyone else carry nuts when they cycle, then? :wink:
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Guy951
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by Guy951 »

Vorpal wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:while cyclists have their nuts shaken loose.


I had this image of... acorns falling out of a shaken tree. Does everyone else carry nuts when they cycle, then? :wink:

My bike carries a 5'11" 13-stone nut, if that's any help :lol:
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Nutsey
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by Nutsey »

I'm getting flashbacks of my first cattlegrid on my brompton :(
Lawrie9
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by Lawrie9 »

The more beautiful an area is the slower and more relaxed drivers tend to be. Where I live in Mid Wales its so beautiful that drivers cruise around at 20 mph and often stop to photograph the scenery. Also I would like to see more people paint there houses in bright attractive colours such as you see in places like Aberaeron and Tobermory in Scotland and this would have a more calming effect and reduce speed.
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stoobs
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by stoobs »

Vorpal wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:while cyclists have their nuts shaken loose.


I had this image of... acorns falling out of a shaken tree. Does everyone else carry nuts when they cycle, then? :wink:


I'm never without mine!

Also, to build on TheJollyJimLad's comments about the avenues in France, I read that they were actually planted so as to confer greater comfort on foreign armies as they moved around the country.
thirdcrank
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by thirdcrank »

Quite a lot of the accessories on my bikes are held on with nuts, and I think others are the same. Bolts can also be shaken loose.
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7_lives_left
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Re: Tree Scheme Slows Down Fast Drivers

Post by 7_lives_left »

In the Radio Spares Catalogue, nuts and bolts are found in the section titled "Fasteners and Fixings".

(For those that don't know, Radio Spares are the people who used to sell you replacement electronic values for your radio receiver with the Bakelite case. They may even sell values to this day.)

Back to SilverBadge/Thirdcranks road markings. So cyclists can have their fasteners shaken loose and some of them can have their nuts shaken too :roll: .
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