Anyone found the roads less busy and/or motorists driving better?

[hemo]

Quieter roads today, my first day back at work since last Thursday, however speeding motorists massively increased, a delivery van, Luton box type thing came steaming past in the opposite direction on the estate road doing close to 50 in a 30.

An open top volvo diesel with an older gentleman driver who slammed on at the rbt thinking he wasn't going to make across before I got there then floored it with a masssive puff of blue smoke, I hope his engine goes bang Generally it seemed like 25% of those on the road were just caning it, I'm not sure that it feels any safer overall quite honestly though the noise is significantly down.

I wonder if a proportion of drivers are experiencing some emotional problems with the current situation and are allowing it to affect their mood while driving. I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.

Just poor driving ability, a good driver can restrain him/her self and drive accordingly within the law.

[Cyril Haearn]

No excuse, people shall die, -99

[Tigerbiten]

Roads are definitely more quiet around wellingborough.
It reminds me of how it was cycling on roads 40 years ago.

One thing I noticed was a couple of cars parked at the ends of obscure footpaths so dogs could be walked in isolation.

Luck .........

[Marcus Aurelius]

I got passed by 3 idiots having a race on a stretch of road with a 30 limit, on my ride home tonight. They were easily doing 70 mph, by my reckoning.

[pwa]

Quieter roads today, my first day back at work since last Thursday, however speeding motorists massively increased, a delivery van, Luton box type thing came steaming past in the opposite direction on the estate road doing close to 50 in a 30.

An open top volvo diesel with an older gentleman driver who slammed on at the rbt thinking he wasn't going to make across before I got there then floored it with a masssive puff of blue smoke, I hope his engine goes bang Generally it seemed like 25% of those on the road were just caning it, I'm not sure that it feels any safer overall quite honestly though the noise is significantly down.

I wonder if a proportion of drivers are experiencing some emotional problems with the current situation and are allowing it to affect their mood while driving. I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.

Just poor driving ability, a good driver can restrain him/her self and drive accordingly within the law.

Well of course. Good driving depends on not letting inappropriate emotions take over. But I wonder if some drivers are falling short on that one and letting anxiety about the virus crisis affect their driving.

[MikeF]

I agree with many others. A great reduction in motor vehicles with a few roads almost free of them. However the proportion of these few drivers driving badly is now large. With the opposite carriageway being free of vehicles some don't give all the space they could, or might do if there were more traffic when they might be forced to slow. And speed limits are being ignored.

[fastpedaller]

Saw an idiot driver and when I looked up the reg on the gov website it reveals the car hasn't had a valid MOT since January - judging by the noise and drainpipe imitating exhaust I suspect it wouldn't pass one either. Does anyone know how to report, and indeed if the Police are likely to do anything?
I also wonder if it was being used for an essential journey?

[The utility cyclist]

I wonder if a proportion of drivers are experiencing some emotional problems with the current situation and are allowing it to affect their mood while driving. I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.

Just poor driving ability, a good driver can restrain him/her self and drive accordingly within the law.

Well of course. Good driving depends on not letting inappropriate emotions take over. But I wonder if some drivers are falling short on that one and letting anxiety about the virus crisis affect their driving.

Surely then they should stay at home and/or not drive if they are emotionally compromised? The volvo driver was clearly on a jaunt, roof down and the smoke from his engine + speed/judgement suggests he'd not driven it in some while or like that for some time.
Too many delivery drivers are the pits at the best of times IME, I've also heard motorbikes ragging it on the A1 from across the fields, they usually leave it until Sunday morning And the other ones are the chavs/drug dealers who seemingly can do what they like (in their cars) as there's no plod about at all, not that we even have a police station anymore and haven't done for years.

[pwa]

Just poor driving ability, a good driver can restrain him/her self and drive accordingly within the law.

Well of course. Good driving depends on not letting inappropriate emotions take over. But I wonder if some drivers are falling short on that one and letting anxiety about the virus crisis affect their driving.

Surely then they should stay at home and/or not drive if they are emotionally compromised? The volvo driver was clearly on a jaunt, roof down and the smoke from his engine + speed/judgement suggests he'd not driven it in some while or like that for some time.
Too many delivery drivers are the pits at the best of times IME, I've also heard motorbikes ragging it on the A1 from across the fields, they usually leave it until Sunday morning And the other ones are the chavs/drug dealers who seemingly can do what they like (in their cars) as there's no plod about at all, not that we even have a police station anymore and haven't done for years.

There is always poor (or worse) driving to be seen, but I feel that maybe I've seen a higher proportion of drivers displaying it in my area recently. If it is a fact, and not just my impression, then why would that be? That is the question I ask myself. And I speculate, no more than that, that it could be something like a feeling that the world has become hopeless and rubbish and that nothing really matters anymore. Of course they shouldn't drive when they are feeling like that, but if that is how they are, they won't care about that either.

[Patrickpioneer]

Cycling from work today I noticed that because there is less traffic the speed of the traffic that is on the roads has gone up, which it will if you think about it?
Patrick

[mig]

https://twitter.com/SuptAndyCox/status/1243089727244374016

[arnsider]

It bewilders me that the government, whilst pleading with everyone to cut out uneccessary travel, have neither, for instance, rationed fuel nor imposed a lower blanket speed limit.
Okay, rationing fuel might be a very difficult proposition, but may be necessary if we start to run short, due to international tensions or refinery staffing problems. A low speed limit might discourage travel and might lessen the possibility of more serious injury due to high speed collisions and the resulting strain onA & E resource.
Only key workers need the use of a vehicle.
A twenty limit on all urban roads should be enforced and a priority given to HGV's on all trunk roads and motorways.
Car drivers on trunk roads should be obliged give way to HGV's.
I am in the vulnerable group, virtue of my age and I am seriously considering a SORN for my car.
I can do all my shopping either on foot or on the bike.
I appreciate that people in outlying areas still need to food shop by car so if fuel rationing was introduced, it could be tied to a notional round trip of say once per week.
Another remedy might be a personal shopper with a van who could obviate several trips and resultant waste of resource.
All this might seem far fetched, but if we drag on in lock down for say months,drastic measures may be needed.

[millimole]

There have been reports around here (Leicestershire) of motorbike racing on local dual carriageways.
Certainly I'm hearing a lot of very loud motorcycles, and they rarely come singly.
Unintended consequences!

[pwa]

It bewilders me that the government, whilst pleading with everyone to cut out uneccessary travel, have neither, for instance, rationed fuel nor imposed a lower blanket speed limit.
Okay, rationing fuel might be a very difficult proposition, but may be necessary if we start to run short, due to international tensions or refinery staffing problems. A low speed limit might discourage travel and might lessen the possibility of more serious injury due to high speed collisions and the resulting strain onA & E resource.
Only key workers need the use of a vehicle.
A twenty limit on all urban roads should be enforced and a priority given to HGV's on all trunk roads and motorways.
Car drivers on trunk roads should be obliged give way to HGV's.
I am in the vulnerable group, virtue of my age and I am seriously considering a SORN for my car.
I can do all my shopping either on foot or on the bike.
I appreciate that people in outlying areas still need to food shop by car so if fuel rationing was introduced, it could be tied to a notional round trip of say once per week.
Another remedy might be a personal shopper with a van who could obviate several trips and resultant waste of resource.
All this might seem far fetched, but if we drag on in lock down for say months,drastic measures may be needed.

Delivery drivers doing vital work will struggle even more if we reduce their speed below current limits. And frankly, people are not catching C19 when they are driving. Driving was a factor in the Foot and Mouth outbreak, but not for this disease. If you were aiming to reduce forms of travel during which transmission is possible you would be looking at walking and cycling! But for both of those keeping your distance from others removes the problem.

In our household the legitimate and allowed reasons for us driving around are our jobs, which are essential, attending to my elderly mother's needs, and shopping for ourselves and neighbours who are self-isolating. That is a fair few trips over the course of a week.

[Cyril Haearn]

Unintended but foreseeable

What are Sergeant Dyfed and Constable Powys doing about it? Nothing!
..
Maybe the thread title could be changed, 'differently' or 'worse' instead of 'better'