80mph Motorways

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Brilliant. Although it would be a fairly minor adjustment, I'll be very pleased if, after the consultation, UK motorway maximum speed is brought in line with the standard 130kph that applies all over continental Europe.

[deemented]

Good Idea.

But doesn't everyone do about 80 anyway?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

quite deemented !

[Sirzy]

Great idea as long as it doesn't make people think they are "allowed" to do 90mph as standard.

I would though like to see it come with a law to say anyone doing over 100 automatically gets a 12 month ban - no ifs, buts or I'm a celebrities!

[Meglet]

Daft idea. All the idiots will go at 90mph.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

80mph and enforced is surely better than 70mph and ignored? Think 100mph automatically results in points, if not a ban.

[ragged]

Coz it will be so wonderful to have 25-30% higher emissions of pollutants.
Who cares about global warming or air pollution?
And we'll get to use 25-30% more fuel (coz that's so cheap now, anyway).
And once the limit is officially 80 we can all go 90, can't we?
I mean travelling at 80 saves you like a massive 8 minutes in an hour's journey, well worth any damage to the environment, extra cost to your wallet, extra safety hazards, etc.

Gosh, why didn't somebody think of this before?

[needanewname]

Agreed good idea but should be enforced. I also like how in France if the weather is bad the limit is lower

[ragged]

Oh, and I know what you mean about what if motorway vehicles could just travel a bit faster. Move everybody faster and there will be fewer cars on the road at any time. I mean, that's how it works when you build more roads, right? Building roads = less traffic. That's why we have so many more roads now than 40 years ago and why road traffic levels are so fantastically reduced now compared to the 1960s/70s. More roads => less traffic, faster speeds => less traffic. Obvious and inevitable, right?

(The phrase you're looking for is "supply that stimulates demand", btw)

Safety?, pah!
All we have to do is make cars stronger, to withstand crashes better, they'll be heavier and that will make them so much more fuel efficient and require less energy to make them, too, won't it? We could have stronger and better crash barriers (somehow that will reduce the risk of crashes happening ). Sure the barriers will need more material and be more energy intensive to manufacture, but hey, it's worth it for that 8 minutes saving per hour, right?

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

I like that aspect of the French traffic laws as well. 110kph (65mph) in the wet, 130kph (80mph) in the dry. Very sensible. It's just a personal observation, but the accidents I see on motorways seems to be as a result of shunts.... driving too close to brake when traffic slows down or comes to a sudden stop... rather than excessive speed.

[Byeckerslike]

My car, according to dh and our little in car mpg display, does more mpg at 75 mph than at 70, so better all round. Not sure whether i think raising it is a good idea or not, people do that speed now and a lot dont get caught, so what difference would it make, really? Apart from cost a fortune to implement it?

[Northernlurker]

I passed my driving test in July. Since then I have done a fair bit of motoway driving. Dh has been frankly astonished at the mileage our car will do when I'm in charge. This is because I drive (more or less) at 70 and have been taught to anticipate and control speed without harsh braking. Driving at 80 may be a tiny bit faster - but very uneconomic and I agree this will encourage people to drive at 90!

[Sirzy]

Different limits for different weather conditions leaves to much to personal interpretation IMO. One speed limit then the use of common sense is much better! Shame to many lack common sense but nothing will change that!

I don't think the change would make much difference in the long run really other than mean when the road is busy but flowing it keeps flowing faster.

[CaptainMartinCrieff]

I couldn't care less I just wish people would drive on the motorway properly first and foremost and stop sitting in the middle lane!

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

I don't think it will make much difference to the speed that people drive (the idiots will still do 90mph anyway).

[southeastastra]

it's a good idea, though most here must drive at 100 on some stretches of motorway

is it germany that has no limits at all?

[ImTheCowGodMoooo]

In twenty years, when the computers have finally taken over the world, we will be sitting in our no-steering-wheel cars reading the newspaper wondering why people ever argued about speed limits (or were mad enough to let humans be in control of massive amounts of steel whizzing around each other).

[niceguy2]

Those who want to drive at 90, already drive at 90. Let's face it, the roads are not exactly awash with police and our motorways are amongst the safest in the world already.

There's no point in having a limit which is not in keeping with reality.

And ImTheCowGodMoooo, watch this video: . The reality may not even be 20 years away! Google have these driving all round the roads of Texas and so far the only time it crashed was when a human was in control.

[Ripeberry]

Could not do more than 80mph as my steering wheel wobbles over 75mph.
Suppose I'd better get the tracking checked.

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

Ripeberry - ours did that last year after going over too many potholes. Tracking sorted and it's fine now :)

[Byeckerslike]

Captainmartin speaks the truth, i have an irrational hatred of 'middle laners'

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

Won't make a blind bit of difference. Most people drive north of 80mph anyway. About time the limits were reviewed though, it's madness that we're still bound by what cars were capable of 50 years ago.

[crazynanna]

It is obvious why the government has done this.
Next,they will demand the unemployed pick up litter from the mototrways. Then they will tick them off one by one as they catapult off car bonnets.
Welfare bill halved. Voila!

[deemented]

Shhh nana - you'll be giving them ideas!

[crazynanna]

[mumblechum1]

at Crazy