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Originally Posted by cheap
We lived in Darwin from 2003 to 2004, during a period where the NT highways had an open speed limit (i.e. no speed limit).
I have legally driven thousands of kms at very high speed, my Road King at +160km/hr regularly from Humpty Doo to Adelaide River or Jabiru. My mates Hyabussa at +260km/hr or my Land Cruiser at +160km/hr traveling to Alice Springs or Camooweal. I think I have some experience at high speed driving.
The NT had a unique situation which allowed for open speed limit:
(a) a requirement to travel long distances in a reasonable time and the NT has limited alternative travel options available
(b) a very good highway, wide, well maintained, graded and extensively cleared of obstruction on both side of the highway, flat terrain with long straights where viability is not an issue
(c) sparse population
(d) extremely low traffic volumes on the NT Highways
(e) generally good and predictable weather conditions, no fog, no snow and little rain for most of the year
(f) a parochial government, fiercely independent and willing to tell Canberra to "get stuffed"
Except for (f) all of the above items exist today.
Beginning in 2007 the NT government removed the open speed limit and placed a 130km/hr limit on the highways. This was done to normalise road speeds across Australia (in reality there was huge political and financial pressure from Canberra's politicians and bureaucrats to remove the open speed limit).
As far as I know NT was the final place on Earth with an open speed limit (despite what the NT opposition says there will never again be legal open speed driving in NT.)
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Driving at high speed was a buzz , but then it became ordinary. High speed driving did bring some unintended consequences :
(1) Concentration V's Being Alert. You're traveling at high speed 160km/hr concentrating on the road ahead and someone overtakes you at +200km/hr. This scares the crap out of people.
(2) Distance perception. Traveling at 160km/hr and the oncoming car is also traveling at 160km/hr. You're closing in one each other at 320km/hr! All of a sudden what you thought was a overtaking gap isn't.
(3) Vehicle performance. It requires more energy for cars to accelerate/overtake whilst doing 130km/hr and accelerating to 150km/hr than it does from 110km/hr to 130km/hr. It takes longer to overtake and you're on the opposite side of the road longer.
(4) Increased Speed means greater braking distances and vehicle instability increases too.
(5) Increased fatigue. Many research studies suggests that increased speed required increases to your concentration which in turn increases fatigue.
(6) The unexpected happens faster. The buffalo crossing the highway has right of way, your reaction times are significantly less.
(7) Driver behavior and attitude. From my experience, even with an open speed limit, most people in the NT drove at 130-140km/hr. I found that driving in Europe and the USA too, that fast drivers drive at 130-140km/hr or 85mph. Perhaps these speeds are what the human brain can comfortably cope with?
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Question: Would 130km/hr work outside NT?
Answer: NO and for a number of reasons.
In my opinion it would not be possible because almost every road I've traveled on (and I've travel extensively) would fail on points a,b,c, d and e. In plain terms nearly every Australian road would need substantial improvement.
Our better motorways and highways have too much traffic on them, Sydney-Newcastle freeway or M1 Brisbane-Gold Coast would have in relative terms 10,000 times the traffic volume per hour than that of NT.
I would have to say that driver behavior was better in NT than it is here in Queensland and much much better than when we lived in Sydney. There would need to be improvements in driver behavior, perhaps training people to cope with higher speed driving is necessary.
Australia's aging population would be be a problem for increased speed limits.
The need for government to be seen to be protecting us from ourselves would not assist the high speed movement.
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I know I've rambled on a fair bit, thanks for your time.
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Point (1) Rubbish!
2. That is just incompetence or a gutless car.
3. Not always.
4. Instability what are you driving a P of S.
5.
that is what we are debating mate pros and cons of it.
130 KM/H can work on any good road.
7. I have driven crap cars that at 100km/h and it was dangerous at that posted speed limit. there can be a bloody big difference in cars as to what ya feel competent in driving at speeds.
I had a Kawasaki ZX10 and cruising speed was 240 KM/H and i felt that comfortable to sit on that but over that speed is when it took much more concentration and would tax ya out. and that was a 500KM ride and i would get off bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to party on. if i sat on 110 km/h i would of been worn out and ****ed off. but i was only cruising not trying anything stupid.
