"Bob Fusillo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Hzvhc.30020$hw5.48220@attbi_s53...
    > When I was a lad, there was no speed limit on the open roads. Jaguars
    > regularly did 130 on the Motorways. Many people, I suppose, are still
living
    > in the past -- pehaps it is now built in to the British psyche.

I learnt to drive before the national speed limit, but production cars that
could cruise at 70mph or more were then the province of the rich. That is
probably one reason that there was not much resistance to the speed limit
when it was introduced.

Colin Bignell

Following up to Keith Willshaw

    >and a scandal
    >when a sports car manufacturer (Lola ?) was
    >revealed to be testing vehicles at 140 mph
    >on the M-1

AC I think.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
Wasdale-Lake district-Thames path-London "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to ted kell

    >Some years ago I ran into some of these in the Boston, MA area. There
    >was a local sport of getting between a driver and his exit, thus making
    >him go around a second time. I wonder if the same applies in the UK?

I've only seen people not able to get off a roundabout on the
Simpsons!
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
Wasdale-Lake district-Thames path-London "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

"Olivers" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
....
    > I will admit that my two big SUVs, one a 2001, the other a 2004, get much
    > better gas mileage than my 1979 "estate wagon", much smaller, ever did.

Ain't computers wonderful? My current 5 litre V8 engined vehicle gives
better fuel consumption than I used to get from a 2 litre straight six in
the 1960s, with much better performance, even though it weighs about three
times as much.

    > If
    > a government were really interested in saving gas, a more sensible tax
    > would be on the projected miles per gallon basis for new cars when
    > purchased, a big stick rather than death by twigs.

In Britain, we pay an annual Vehicle Excise Duty. The cost of that for
modern cars relates to the vehicle's rated CO2 emission levels (which tends
to relate to fuel consumption) and the type of fuel it uses. It can vary
from GBP55 to GBP165 per annum. Cars registered before 1st March 2001 are
charged in two bands, according to engine size.

Colin Bignell

"ted kell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
...
    > Some years ago I ran into some of these in the Boston, MA area. There
    > was a local sport of getting between a driver and his exit, thus making
    > him go around a second time. I wonder if the same applies in the UK?

You would probably end up with the other car stuck in your driver's door if
you tried that here.

Colin Bignell

"ted kell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > In article <[email protected]>,
    > Fustanella <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Some years ago I ran into some of these in the Boston, MA area. There
    > was a local sport of getting between a driver and his exit, thus making
    > him go around a second time. I wonder if the same applies in the UK?

The general idea is that if you aren't turning off you keep to the centre of
the roundabout. If you see someone to your right signalling left, back off
and give way.

"freeda" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > > > Is there speed limit on the motorways?
    > >
    > > 70 mph!
    > >
    > Yeah but everyone ignores it..

Certainly not everyone!

"Tim Challenger" <"timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at"> wrote in message >
The motorway speed limit was introduced during the oil crisis wasn't it?
    > Officially to cut fuel consumption but never revoked (of course).

No: during the oil crisis it was lowered to 50 m.p.h.

"Björn Olsson" <[email protected]> wrote
.
    > >
    > > Yes, but if US drivers were trained in the rules they would work
    > > (give way to the right)
    > If that's the rule in US roundabouts, I think we've identified why they
    > don't work.

Chuckle . . .

Neil

"nightjar .uk.com>" <nightjar@<insert_my_surname_here> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I learnt to drive before the national speed limit, but production cars
that
    > could cruise at 70mph or more were then the province of the rich. That is
    > probably one reason that there was not much resistance to the speed limit
    > when it was introduced.

Hmmm, I remember my first motor - an Austin A35 which I bought for ninety
quid in 1966!

You could, however, travel at over 100 m.p.h. in the fastest coach ("bus" to
Yanks!) ever produced in the UK, Midland Red's C5, which operated between
Brum and London.

Alan Harrison

Björn Olsson <[email protected]> wrote:

    >The Reids wrote:

    >> Yes, but if US drivers were trained in the rules they would work
    >> (give way to the right)
    >If that's the rule in US roundabouts, I think we've identified why they
    >don't work.
The French made that system work for years -- giving way to traffic
coming on to the roundabout. It takes a bit of thinking to get your
head around it, but it works.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

Padraig Breathnach muttered....

    > Björn Olsson <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>The Reids wrote:
    >
    >>> Yes, but if US drivers were trained in the rules they would work
    >>> (give way to the right)
    >>If that's the rule in US roundabouts, I think we've identified why they
    >>don't work.
    > The French made that system work for years -- giving way to traffic
    > coming on to the roundabout. It takes a bit of thinking to get your
    > head around it, but it works.
    >

I've always thought that the best theory for navigating roundabouts was to
utilize the Roman perspective....

A. Left, right or center..."Right of way" belongs to he who acquires it.
Nelson may not have "had" the right of way at Trafalgar, but he certainly
was determined to exercise it.

B. There's no sin or fault in going around twice, either because you
couldn't get off the first time or weren't sure which road to take.

TMO

"Miss L. Toe" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >"Gernot Egger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> Yaofeng wrote:
    >> > Is there speed limit on the motorways?
    >> 70 mph!
    >> lg Gernot
    >I always thought it was 90 mph :-)

Only in the outside lane and you must be a
sales rep or a service engineer !

--

Mike, G4LTI
QSL manager for ZD8I
http://www.zd8i.net

    > >"Gernot Egger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > >news:[email protected]...
    > >> Yaofeng wrote:
    > >> > Is there speed limit on the motorways?
    > >>
    > >> 70 mph!
    > >>
    > >> lg Gernot
    > >>
    > >>
    > >
    > >I always thought it was 90 mph :-)
    > >
    > Only in the outside lane and you must be a
    > sales rep or a service engineer !

Driving a Vectra or a Mondeo, Suit hanging in nearside rear window and
mobile phone glued to your ear....

    > > Wouldn't know about the economy! But your right, London is very
expensive
    > > compared with elsewhere in the UK. However for foreign tourists that is
    > all
    > > they are likely to see.
    > For the record, 4th largest world economy.
I guess America is first, Germany must be up there somewhere... who are the
other 2???