NC500

[J--M--B]

Proposal on the news just now for a NC500

Huge drive to promote ‘Scotland’s Route 66’

I can imagine they will then find an increase in accidents particularly motorcyclists!

There was also a call for average speed cameras on the A82, just wish we could reach a high enough speed without the potholes wrecking suspension.

There is an item about this on Landward tonight at 1930h.

[J--M--B]

Countryfile are visiting the NC500 next weekend.

NATURE: Countryfile
On: BBC 1 Scotland HD
Date: Sunday 6th December 2015 (starting in 6 days)
Time: 18:20 to 19:20 (1 hour long)

Highlands.
Ellie Harrison and Joe Crowley explore the NC500 - a new 500-mile scenic loop that takes in some of Scotland's remotest and most beautiful places. Ellie is in the west near Applecross where she comes face to face with the fearsome Belach na Ba - the 'Pass of the Cattle'. At more than 2,000 feet, it's Britain's highest road. Ellie then snakes up the coast to Ullapool to find out how one small native fish could be the answer to the salmon-farming industry's prayers. Joe Crowley is in the east, riding the NC500 through Sutherland's fertile planes. He stops off to meet the young couple who have jacked it all in to live the crofting life. He then drives on to the Black Isle - so called because of its rich black fertile soils. Here, he meets the farmers growing premium barley destined for the whiskey industry. Tom investigates the high number of traffic accidents that happen on our rural roads, while Adam discovers that the future of UK energy production may be straw powered.
(Stereo, Including Weather for the Week Ahead, Widescreen, High Definition, Subtitles, 3 Star)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marked By: 'Favourite: Countryfile' marker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7346

Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.

[owen b]

NATURE: Countryfile.... Ellie is in the west near Applecross where she comes face to face with the fearsome Belach na Ba - the 'Pass of the Cattle'. At more than 2,000 feet, it's Britain's highest road.

I hope the programme is more accurate than the TV listing.

[J--M--B]

They spoke to someone who had cycled the whole road in 38 hours and who was talking of fighting the fatigue to complete the ride - this on a public road. Then went into an item about a motorist who is permanently disabled after going off the road and hitting a tree because of tiredness.

[Was92now625]

Is it effectively a glorified 'Coastal Tourist Route' (apart from the bit that is not near the coast) ?

[OLD GIT]

Then went into an item about a motorist who is permanently disabled after going off the road and hitting a tree because of tiredness.

This was on the idea that there are more accidents on country roads. Possibly another push to lower speed limits on country lanes -AGAIN. Last time, the Police/County councillors et all said NO,but the county road officers(at least in Warks, if not elsewhere) decided otherwise. When (as the song goes) will they ever learn that education will TEACH drivers to respect the speed that they drive at, and not fines & points.

[c2R]

Both articles I thought were quite interesting... The case study of the new A16 was particularly interesting with the many fatalities since opening. This is a new road with good sightlines, but on a very flat agricultural part of the country, where fog is common. Very heavy HGV traffic (as seen during the background of the interviews) coupled with farm machinery and no overtaking lanes means driver frustration and people overtaking on the S2. I suspect these fatalities and accidents on this stretch have been generally down to overtaking on the S2 and driver fatigue.

It should have been built as a dual carraigeway, or at least alternating S2+1. Of course, the local road safety types advocated SPECS...

[J--M--B]

Then went into an item about a motorist who is permanently disabled after going off the road and hitting a tree because of tiredness.

This was on the idea that there are more accidents on country roads. Possibly another push to lower speed limits on country lanes -AGAIN. Last time, the Police/County councillors et all said NO,but the county road officers(at least in Warks, if not elsewhere) decided otherwise. When (as the song goes) will they ever learn that education will TEACH drivers to respect the speed that they drive at, and not fines & points.

The chap from the Speed Partnership claimed they could improve the figures with more SPECS but it was said that things like proper road markings might be more effective - that is what J J Leeming's classic book said many years ago.

[c2R]

The chap from the Speed Partnership claimed they could improve the figures with more SPECS but it was said that things like proper road markings might be more effective - that is what J J Leeming's classic book said many years ago.

Yes, that is true, but I'm not sure the road markings on the A16 are at fault - the problem was that they were trying to deal with a number of issues across multiple locations which made it difficult to make a coherent argument one way or another...

[Fenlander]

The A16 doesn't suffer from fog and almost all of the fatalities have been at the staggered crossroads, not due to speeding. One of the Crowland crossroads should have been a roundabout and the other a flyover. The old Crowland bypass suffered in the same way, why were those lessons ignored?
The speed differential between the HGVs is slightly less than it was since the 50limit was introduced but the road should have been all dual, part dual or built with better sight lines to allow faster vehicles to overtake slower ones at key points. Crawler lanes like you get on big hills would work.

[c2R]

The A16 doesn't suffer from fog

Perhaps I've just been unlucky then, but it certainly seems that many of the dozen or times I've driven since it opened it visibility has been very poor, making overtaking tricky.

[ronA1066]

This was on the idea that there are more accidents on country roads. Possibly another push to lower speed limits on country lanes -AGAIN. Last time, the Police/County councillors et all said NO,but the county road officers(at least in Warks, if not elsewhere) decided otherwise. When (as the song goes) will they ever learn that education will TEACH drivers to respect the speed that they drive at, and not fines & points.

The near certainty of fines and points seems to work well enough where there are average speed cameras.

And when did education have any lasting effects. Most people these days were taught at least one foreign language at school. What proportion of people in their 30s and older can read a newspaper in that language, let alone speak it fluently?

[Fenlander]

The A16 doesn't suffer from fog

Perhaps I've just been unlucky then, but it certainly seems that many of the dozen or times I've driven since it opened it visibility has been very poor, making overtaking tricky.

I should clarify what I meant, I didn't see the program but if the gist of it was the SPECS cameras coming to Crowland bypass it was that stretch I meant, it's a road I use several times a week, as does my wife at earlier times of day and later at night than me. It's not very often she's mentioned a foggy drive.
SPECS is given the credit for the reduction in casualty figures on the A52 between the A15 at Osbournby and Grantham, I drive that road fortnightly and it's made it a more frustrating drive, traffic used to speed and slow with the hills & bends but now due to the cameras hardly anyone dare exceed 60, even when they've been doing 40 so got a bit in hand with the average. I would say the increase in HGV limit has resulted in less collisions as people are happier to follow at 50 (56) than they were at 40 (pushing 50).
I don't have any experience of the SPECS setup on the A15 south of Lincoln but that one is also mentioned as being a positive outcome, it was used along with the A52 installation to push cameras onto the A16 Crowland bypass.

[J--M--B]

News item this week about photo tours of the NC500.

Photography workshops and tours for North Coast 500

It links to the companies website which would not run in my browser initially because it uses so many scripts.

NorthCoast 500

There is a GPX file and also an App available (no idea what it does)

[J--M--B]

The NC500 is featured on Top Gear tonight.

A company is sponsoring some aspects of the route.

Top legal firm sponsoring economic development initiative of Highlands North Coast 500 scenic drive route

From some of the comments I have seen, people along the route seem to seeing little or benefit but more traffic, more noise and safety aspects. I would not be surprised to see some lowering of speed limits on the route.

[Haydn1971]

Noticed a fair few "leisure cars" out on the circuit today, the open top, motorcycle engined variety - was caught up in a traffic jam of three stuck behind a badly driven huge camper - not me I hasten to add

[c2R]

Anyone fancy building a wiki page for the NC500? I would, but I've not got the opportunity for a few weeks....


http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/inde ... arch=NC500

[rhyds]

Anyone fancy building a wiki page for the NC500? I would, but I've not got the opportunity for a few weeks....


http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/inde ... arch=NC500

I'll have a look at starting this evening.

[J--M--B]

The local paper reports that BBC1 Scotland local news will have a report on the NC500 every day next week.