Extend speed limit, says family

Lee, my thanks for explaining the differences between the skills of a mechanic and a brain surgeon .... !!!!! much appreciated !!!

I wish Ian & Emma Hutchings all the best in their campaign to have the speed limit changed , they have my full support ..

Peter, my Dad told me before my very first driving lesson with him, a similar story to yours,-

"always assume there is an idiot driving towards you on your side of the road round a blind bend and be prepared for it"

I have always kept this in mind.

You say "Drive/ride to the conditions and within limits"

I agree, you could put me in a 200 mph Ferrari but I would not be driving round the outskirts of Wellow at break neck speed, but give the same car to a spotty youth and at 150 mph they would wrap the car around the nearest slow moving cyclist,,, so as I say, driving comes down to experience, and common sense, just like a lot of things in life which sadly you just can not buy or learn from a computer game.

22 mph is fast for some of the cars I've been stuck behind on the island.

Drive/ride to the conditions and within limits.

I was trained to ride a motorbike by a copper and he was an excellent tutor. "Always assume that there's a brick wall built across the road round the next bend, that way when you do meet the unexpected you will not just slam in to it." That one bit of advise has saved my (and no doubt a few cyclists and pedestrians) life many times over, Cycling, biking , walking or driving.

cont: cliff top road

Keith, driving slowly,,, for example in a 60mph speed limit you have a car (or a cyclist) doing exactly 22 mph.
60 mph is the maximum limit, there is no minimum limit, but common sense should prevail.
The driver/rider looks in his/her mirror and says "Blimey there are a lot of cars going in the same direction as me" and carries on at 22 mph causing more hold ups behing him/her.
Driving from say Brading to the Hare & Hounds, over the downs, now takes the following cars 3 times as long to travel the route, people are late for work, late for hospital appointments, late to pick up kids from school etc, so they have to over take the line of cars to pass the front one.
Overtaking is not needed on the island IF the car in front travelled using common sense and kept at a suitable speed for all road users to follow at, say 45-55 mph in this 60 mph limit.
Thanks for the offer of your National Trust card, but as you know, private cars are not allowed along Alum Bay cliff t

Please explain how driving slow causes road accidents? You may be on to something here. If all motorists were encouraged to drive faster, our roads would be in better condition, the isle of wight wouldn't need a pfi scheme and you'd get a road tax rebate. Us cyclistist can confine our multicycle pile ups you hear so often about just to the pavements. I apologise, you're obviously a very skilled driver, and appreciate you taking the time to drive these routes to test out current speed limits. May I suggest you borrow my national trust card and see if you can drive all the way to needles old battery at 60mph?

I have been a long-time critc of the IoWCC's policy to instruct drivers by signs written on the road. When the road is wet they become invisible. When there is a traffic queue (C'pins Bridge) they become invisible. If they are not maintained properly (as most are) they become invisible. In Ventnor recently there was a road repair that affected half of a badly worn sign. When they came to re-paint the sign, they only painted the missing bit, ignoring the fact that the whole sign needed re-painting. Go to Hambrough Road and see the crazy outcome. My theory has always been that no-one in Highways actually drives on our roads. Am I right?

Keith Mcnackerly I find your comment UNfunny.
If you seriously ride in the centre of the road and expect car drivers to wait patiently behind you before overtaking, then you are a fool.
Cyclists annoy me thinking they can dodge and weave between traffic and have a get out of hospital free card just because they wear 5 bananas on their head.
Maybe if you contributed towards road tax for the damage you cause by having cars travelling too slowly behind you and having to overtake you and wear out those cats eyes that bump up and down with every turn of the wheel.
How does £100 a year grab you?
Then you could also cough up for insurance too as you cause a lot of accidents by reckless endangerment.
But after reading your comments, I reckon it will not be long before you turn up in the news as yet another casualty on our roads.

Neil, as I was out and about this afternoon, I took my car through Wellow and stuck to the signed speed limits all the way through. I had no problem at all, and in some areas I could actually have gone faster but the road is quite bumpy which could contribute to these accidents you speak of, so in my expert opinion it should be resurfaced, hope this helps.
Also, I turned out on to Wilmingham lane/road and travelled towards the Newport-Freshwater road, Wilmingham is also a 60mph speed limit, this is narrow and has some really sharp bends in it too, one is a sharp S bend. I am just wondering if we should also plague the council to reduce this road to a 30mph limit?
Because lets face it, would you trust a garage mechanic to perform brain surgery on you?
No?
But would you allow a brain surgeon to change a wheel on your car?
Yes?
The reason these two opposites work, is down to their experience and common sense, the same as me driving ok at 60 mph through the outskirts of Wellow

I like to cycle in the middle of the carriageway as your road tax isn't maintaining the pavement nor drain covers to a satisfactory level. You're all skilled drivers. Wait for a safe place to overtake, mirror, signal and maneuver. Simple really.

Any views or opinions presented in the comments above are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the Isle of Wight County Press.