Toyota driver fined for slow driving on Perth Freeway

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Originally Posted by garrycol

... - so driving 20kph in the slow lane on a three lane road is not restricting traffic flow - just stupid cops in WA on a power rush.

Garry

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[thumbsupbig]
That's what I reckon too.

Can't imagine the stress of driving trucks on WA freways too either!
Getting booked for doing 60k/h on a freeway with a steep incline, and a heavily loaded, underpowered prime mover .. not my cuppa tea.
All the more reason to stay put.

I know in Vic, a vehicle is not allowed on the road if it can't maintain 40k/h.
Brother had a job to arrange a rail grinding machine from Laverton to Ballarat, and it's top speed was 20.
Only way there was to get it onto a float .. a very low float with something like 5° ramp access.
If it could only do 40k/h it had to have an escort behind and in front(or something to that effect). cost was going to be mad .. so the float was arranged.

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Originally Posted by Grumbles

.....and a peloton of bicycles doing 25 kmh?

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Bikes won't be on a freeway, other than in the emergency lane where permitted.

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Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Hers's a link to the above news item.

WA driver fined for travelling too slowly on Mitchell Freeway, Perth

So Series 1 LR's might be in trouble as they won't go fast enough to avoid the eagle eyes of the slowcoach squad.

My Mrs. would have been in trouble with her Escort Mk.1 1300 auto. It simply would not do 70 mph and the last ten took a long flat or downhill lead-up.

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You should try driving on the freeways in Japan - usually the posted speed is 80km/h but it's not enforced - left lane will have someone in a Kei (the 660c micro cars/trucks) doing 60km/h - I usually do about 100km/h and when you pull out to pass the Kei in the right lane you get monstered by some idiot in a fast local sedan or hot Euro car doing 140 km/h. Colleague of mine got caught on a fixed speed camera doing 180km/h on a freeway nominally posted at 80km/h. He had to write an apology and they also gave him a map showing where the speed cameras were.

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Originally Posted by trout1105

I would fight that ticket in court, the speed limit is just that a "Limit" not a "Target".
There is nowhere in the rule book that says you HAVE to drive at the posted speed limit But it does say that you shouldn't exceed it.
I am willing to Bet that a driver going 28kph Faster than the posted limit are FAR more dangerous that this driver.

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Better revisit the regs - the cops were right.

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Originally Posted by gavinwibrow

Better revisit the regs - the cops were right.

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I stand corrected[thumbsupbig]
FAQ | Western Australia Police Force

Not sure what the problem is to be honest. 30kmh below the limit is getting pretty slow. If you can’t stay at the legal in that state 20kmh below you probably shouldn’t be out there. That’s only 80 - even a series can do that without issues. I sit on 85 to 90 in my 101 and am very aware of other traffic when on the freeway with it. If it was while going up a steep hill or something maybe a bit different but on the flat, 80 is doable for pretty much any vehicle designed for the road made in the last 100 years.

In a Hilux that can do 100 easily there is no excuse - even loaded, 80 is achievable easily - even for the early diesel models (it would just take them 5 minutes to get there).

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Originally Posted by gavinwibrow

Better revisit the regs - the cops were right.

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Only in WA - I think they only have one freeway so dont know how to manage them properly. In other states there are often no alternatives other than the freeway. (Canberra to Newcastle is freeway all the way except for Pennant Hills Road)

On the German autobahnen the outer lane is for overtaking only. If you just drive along in it you get blasts of horns and flashes of lights from all the high speed overtakers. No speed limit either. When I first drove in Italy there were no speed limits on the autostrada and like Germany the outer lane is for overtaking only. One needed to check ones mirrors for long range as the Ities often drove at staggering speeds and if one pulled out to overtake a truck in one's bigga Fiata then you could find a Maserati or big Benz all of a sudden right up your bum blowing horns and flashing lights and making vulgar gestures with two fingers having had to brake down quickly from 200k's+ to avoid a rear ender with a family sedan travelling a mere 150.

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Originally Posted by garrycol

Only in WA - I think they only have one freeway so dont know how to manage them properly. In other states there are often no alternatives other than the freeway. (Canberra to Newcastle is freeway all the way except for Pennant Hills Road)

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You mean there are other states?[tonguewink]

Our "Freeway" is split into 2 bits, north and south of the CBD (Mitchell and Kwinana respectively)

I've spoken to a few cops about the "20 kmph below" on the freewayS, and they are not idiots. Of course in heavy traffic, adverse weather etc you can't apply that provision (and if you tried, the courts would take a dim view).


My bigger gripe is those that sit in the right lane (at any speed up to the limit) when the left lane/s is/are clear, and yes in WA at least, if the speed limit is 90 or more on any road, the keep left unless overtaking rule applies. I occasionally tow a 3.5T brick with my D2 TD5 auto, and quite apart from having been a professional driver in previous lives, need to be very aware of and considerate to other road users as I toddle along at a current realistic max of about 85 without cooking anything.

Without wishing to get into another bunfight, and although I do see some signs of improvement, some here in the west think wet weather is a chance to go faster, and some people still don't know how to merge and the old lifted bonnet syndrome is alive and well.
I was very impressed with the NZ merging signs which show a partially done up zipper ie merge 1 to one.
Without checking, I seem to recall some weird rule here which says one lane always has to give way to t'other (can't remember which and just apply common sense to stay alive).


Y'all have a wunderful day now!

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Originally Posted by garrycol

That is not correct but I do recall a specific law relevant to this specific freeway in WA.

Elsewhere in Aust there is no minimum speed for freeways - there is however a law that you must not unrealistically inhibit or restrict traffic flow without a reasonable reason - so driving 20kph in the slow lane on a three lane road is not restricting traffic flow - just stupid cops in WA on a power rush.

Garry

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Sorry disagree, If you cant sit on 80 in a vehicle more than capable of doing so, take the back roads or highways and get off the freeway. There is no justifiable reason to be sitting on 70kmph on a freeway with no holdups. And often they sit in the middle or right lanes. It is about time they enforced it, see it way to often. Would be good if they also introduced it on highways, have had heaps of retards sit on 70-80 in a 110 area for no reason and as soon as you get to an overtaking lane accelerate so you cant overtake.. Now I am not talking about people towing caravans etc, new to areas and looking for a turn off etc, vintage cars or cars not designed to do 100 or 110, these are all valid reasons to go slower and lawful excuses as is smoke, weather, traffic jams etc. The point of a freeway is to get from one area to another quickly and as unobstructed as possible. There are plenty of other routes that dont involve freeways. Same as the tossers that repeatedly block the right lane doing just over 80. Most cops I have spoken to in Eastern states would class doing 70 on a clear freeway an obstruction and hazard.