New M'Way 80mph limit.

[OmOnWeelz]

I've read some articles saying the the Minister of Transport is seriously considering that lifing the UK Motorway speed limit to 80mph will be a good and nbeneficial move!
Seems more lik 'reality check' to me a the average speed is nearer to 80mph than 70.
Also it's one in the eye for all the do gooders that tweet on that exceeding 70mph is dangerous, anti social, reckless blah di blah di blah

The serious proposal just shows that someone in government is at last living in the real day and age world

 

[Parksy]

No matter what limit is set there will always be somebody who will exceed it.

 

[JonnyG]

It now almost a decade since the Italian government gave the go ahead for 3 lane M/ways to up there speed limit from 81mph to 90 mph.
As yet no body has done so, reasons given were to do with legal responsibility!
I am not sure if it is a good idea to raise the limit here up to 80 mph on All M/ways and at all times. They seem to hardly cope with the speed limit we have now, and as Parksy said some will still not stick to it and speed over it.
Thats OK when the roads are generally empty but these days hats becoming less and less.
personally I feel its just another tax, driving at 80 mph needs approx 15% more fuel than driving at 70 mph. more coffers for the government me thinks

 

[Surfer]

I am very wary of travelling at 70mph after junction 12 on the M5 at any time due to the large ruts in the road.

 

[Gagakev]

Does that mean the towing limit goes up 10mph!!

Not for me thanks, remember those "weebles" boy did they wobble.

 

[OmOnWeelz]

The proposal has been about here for many years as well, so no reason why it shouldn't reach the statute books now whilst we've got rid of the loony leftie wet nurses.
I think and would prefer that there should be a sliding motorway speed limit linked to traffic flow with reduced speed for really wet weather and heavy traffic. 82mph for dry weather and up to 130mph for quiet times.

 

[OmOnWeelz]

Does that mean the towing limit goes up 10mph!!

Not for me thanks, remember those "weebles" boy did they wobble.

NO, nothing to do with towing limits or anything else.

 

[Gagakev]

Does that mean the towing limit goes up 10mph!!

Not for me thanks, remember those "weebles" boy did they wobble.

NO, nothing to do with towing limits or anything else.

Sorry Chris, I dont understand your reply, I was just trying to say that if the speed limit goes up for say, cars from 70 to 80mph
Towing a van/trailer from 60 to 70mph and even maybe let the the HGVs up from 56 to 66.
Or are you stating that it will be just for cars.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

If the cost of fuel comes down significantly (pigs will fly) I just might be in favour of a higher limit, but until then I will stick to 2000 rpm that equates to 60 mph and returns 50+ mpg, and is the most healthy option for my ever under attack wallet!

 

[OmOnWeelz]

As far as I can find it just a rise for vehicles/cars that are entitled to do 70mph on motorways. 70mph dual carriageways would stay the same as far as I can see unless somebody knows different.
I can't see why the limit should not be lifted on many stretches of DC.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

we've got rid of the loony leftie wet nurses.

My own personal thoughts on this is yes, I'm glad the loons are out of power but it wouldn't bother me if motorway speeds were reduced to 60mph. I'd hate the thought of even more taxes going to the Chancellor through me having to buy more fuel to allow me to do those speeds. When not towing there's little opportunity to do 70 let alone 80 anyway due to the motorways being clogged up.

 

[Gagakev]

Thanks Chris understand now, mind you it was proberbly me having one of those dumb moments

 

[OmOnWeelz]

it wouldn't bother me if motorway speeds were reduced to 60mph. I'd hate the thought of even more taxes going to the Chancellor through me having to buy more fuel to allow me to do those speeds.
When not towing there's little opportunity to do 70 let alone 80 anyway due to the motorways being clogged up.

Lord B that's a bit like saying that everyone shouldn't drink 10 pints a night as the tax burden offends you. The throttle is under your foot and the fuel money in your wallet, I don't see that the speed limit forces you to drive at a speed you don't like or don't want to pay for

You can have a beer and enjoy, you don't have to binge drink and get pie eyed every night.
Many ofhe motorwat speed statistics prove that very many drivers find plenty of time and space to exceed 70, take the speed from most white van drivers sat nav and you'll find that very few have not exceeded 70 or have average speeds that can only be acheived by 80mph+ driving.
With low traffic volume,If I or others want to spend fuel money on driving at high speedif legal that shouldbe our choice.

 

[Parksy]

Even if the towing speed limit was raised I doubt if I would tow at over 60mph on motorways or dual carriageways. The extra cost in fuel would outweigh any possible benefits arising from turning up on site half an hour earlier.
I think that speed limits for cars could be raised because they usually drive at around 80 mph on motorways anyway and modern technology means that they are more than capable of maintaining this speed unlike some of the cars around when the 70mph limit was introduced. I've got a sneaking suspicion that this proposed increase could be introduced to sweeten the pill of a possible reduction in urban speed limits to 20mph in some places.

 

[Lutz]

Perhaps it has something to do with harmonising speed limits within Europe. Currently, apart from Denmark and Sweden, the UK has the lowest speed limit on motorways within the EU. So much for always bashing Brussels as the root cause of all evil.
(Smiles from the only country in the world without an overall speed limit)

 

[Surfer]

If you hit something at 60mph you are dead, if you hit it at 70mph you are dead, if you hit it at 80mph you are dead so why can't the speed limit be increased? I think that the current regulatiosn for towing are adequate and do not pose a danger to other drivers.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

take the speed from most white van drivers sat nav and you'll find that very few have not exceeded 70 or have average speeds that can only be acheived by 80mph+ driving.

'Nuff said. Wasn't it the police who labelled them 'white van man' and for a reason

 

[Parksy]

Perhaps it has something to do with harmonising speed limits within Europe. Currently, apart from Denmark and Sweden, the UK has the lowest speed limit on motorways within the EU.
So much for always bashing Brussels as the root cause of all evil.
(Smiles from the only country in the world without an overall speed limit)

Brussels and the EU is often 'bashed' in this country for the very good reason that it has become something that the British electorate never gave it a mandate to become as far as we in the UK are concerned.

Britains roads are too overcrowded to be de regulated to any great extent and in many places here in the UK it could be argued that the motorways are no longer completely fit for purpose so direct comparisons with other European countries are meaningless.
If, as is often claimed, the majority of road deaths are speed related, then until recently the UK had the lowest number of road deaths per capita in western Europe and research by Loughborough University suggest that the UK is now in sixth place behind Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway.
When one considers the vast differences in the road and motorway networks in these countries as well as the level of overcrowding / car ownership then the UK's 'low' speed limits begin to look better to some people.
I don't necessarily subscribe to the view that speed = road deaths, but given the stark choice I'd rather live to be 80 than be allowed to legally drive at 80

 

[mullsy1]

The problem with increasing the legal limit for cars and not other vehicles is fraught with danger.The majority of mway accidents are caused by the fast moving traffic catching up with the slower vehicles,lanes full,nowhere to go,not enough reaction time/not reacting quickly enough through not concentrating ect ect.Increasing speed limits simply reduces further that reaction time.Also you are not 'dead' at 60mph as many accident survivors will attest to but at 80 or 90 mph , there will be more fatalities and fewer people walking away(usually the driver minding their own business)

 

[Lutz]

If, as is often claimed, the majority of road deaths are speed related, then until recently the UK had the lowest number of road deaths per capita in western Europe and research by Loughborough University suggest that the UK is now in sixth place behind Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway.

Strange that Germany doesn't feature in the list although the country has no overall speed limit.
Speed itself doesn't cause accidents, inappropriate speed does. Driving at 50mph within a residential area is a lot more dangerous than 100 or more mph on a motorway during off-peak hours.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

The trouble with this country is it is road haulage based. Very little as gone by rail in the UK for the past 50 years compared to the continent whereas in France 40% of freight goes by rail and something like 20% still goes by canal. The rot set in when the then Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, brought in a physicist, Dr. Beeching, to drastically prune the railways. All this was happening while Marples Construction was building the first motorway to accommodate his lorries, Marples Transport. When it was pointed out Marples simply transferred all his shares to his wife

OK this couldn't happen today due to politicians having to register their vested interests but since then the road lobby is a powerful force to be reckoned with so despite road haulage apparently causing 92% of emissions on our roads nothing will change in the forseeable future.
It's at times like this that I wear my green hat and contrary to the NIMBY's complaining about the new HS2 rail link this will have far less an impact than ripping up the countryside to build another six lane motorway with it's central reservation and hard shoulders. To realise what I mean is you would need to see a photo of Shap bank near Penrith pre 1970. The railway was part of the landscape with it's bridges and cuttings blending in, post 1970 there is a great swathe blighting the landscape which is called the M6. This part of Cumbria is scarred for evermore so I would prefer to make do with the motorways we have and reduce speed rather than scar more of our diminishing countryside.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Speed itself doesn't cause accidents, inappropriate speed does.

Good point Lutz but how do we legislate that everybody drives appropriately

Until peoples thought processes hence their actions can be controlled it isn't going to happen. It would be interesting if a study could be done and then I'm sure that most people who need or will drive at these speeds are those who are highly impatient, highly stressed drivers, the very people who shouldn't be let loose on dodgem cars. A lot of them hang their coats on the door pillar and are more concerned on getting in another call to help their sales figures

 

[Parksy]

You make a good point about the HS2 rail link Lord B. It's a pity that this proposed new rail link isn't reserved for freight and connected directly to HS1 and the European rail network.
Lutz, I agree that it is inappropriate speed which causes casualties.
On data from 2004 the UK road deaths shows that per capita (100,000) the fatality figure was 5.34, and for Germany the figure given was 7.09
I'd venture to suggest that a speed of 120mph on a British motorway would be seen as inappropriate but a similar speed on a German autobahn might be considered to be safe.

 

[Lutz]

I'd venture to suggest that a speed of 120mph on a British motorway would be seen as inappropriate but a similar speed on a German autobahn might be considered to be safe.

What gives you the that impression, Parksy? Over the years I have driven about as many miles on UK motorways as German autobahns and, driving habits aside, I don't see any major differences between the two. Even the standard lane width is about the same (Germany: 3.5m, UK: 11ft or 3.65m). What I do notice, however, is that UK drivers tend not to use their rear view mirrors as often as their German conterparts. However, over here that is vital, for example when you're sitting behind a truck doing 80km/h on a two lane autobahn and there's a car coming up from behind at 200km/h (or more).
In the days before I retired and had a company car I quite often drove at speeds up to 260km/h when conditions allowed and never felt uneasy about it.

 

[Parksy]

I've always been under the impression that motorways in continental Europe are less congested than those here in the UK but perhaps I'm wrong.