"PeterE" wrote in message
...
Robin May wrote:
"Chris Jones" wrote the following
in:

Eurostar to Lille, then TGV direct to Avignon, and Montpelier or
Marseilles. 183mph almost all the way.

How come when a train does 183 mph, everyone's all like "woohoo,
this is the best thing ever, trains rule"... but when a car does
183 mph, everyone's all like "what an irresponsible, dangerous
thing to do, why won't you think of the children?!?!?!?"

Because trains are pretty safe at 183mph whereas cars are pretty
dangerous.

Given a clear track and a highly-trained driver and I would suggest a car
easily capable of 183 mph would be fairly safe.

And there aren't many trains operating in the UK that can safely do
anything
like 183 mph. A Pacer dmu is far more alarming than a Mondeo at 50.

It is important to remember that the only time continental trains reach 183
(or 186 more precisely) is on dedicated, purpose built track that has
built-in signalling.

The infrastructure is what allows the trains to go fast, rather than the
trains themselves.

I once toyed with the idea of a single-lane motorway construction for high
speed cars (150mph), with a signalling system to keep safe distances.

This would be better with more technological developments, but such a "road
track" would be exceptionally expensive compared to the amount of traffic it
could handle.

--
http://www.speedlimit.org.uk
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." (William
Pitt, 1783)