Motorway 80mph limit back on the agenda !!!!!

[robinessex]

Yes! It's back on the agenda

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/motoring/articl...

Go eat that BRAKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Funk]

Good ol' Times paywall.

[robinessex]

The Mail on line has it as well

[TimS2000]

Good news about time they realised that these variable limits should be used for limit increases as we as decreases

[budfox]

I recall that last time it was on the agenda was just before an election.

[kambites]

Anyone would think there was a general election looming.

It'll never happen.

[robinessex]

budfox said:

I recall that last time it was on the agenda was just before an election.

Must admit I thought that as well. Seem to remember the Tories declaring the war on motorists was to end during the last election. Now we have extra cameras on motorways, no only for the so called managed sections, but will/are active when the the 70mph limit is active. Lots of dirty cars with ditto number plates to be popular I suspect.

[750turbo]

kambites said:

Anyone would think there was a general election looming.

It'll never happen.

Exactly!

[dcb]

budfox said:

I recall that last time it was on the agenda was just before an election.

It's only a politician's promise that they will look at the problem
in a couple of years time, so I am not holding my breath.

It used to be the case that the 70 mph limit was lightly enforced
and a real live copper would only get the book out in
practice for 90+ mph.

All went well and there was plenty of traffic at over 80 mph.
No real safety issues ensued and the police, via ACPO, decided
the 70 mph limit wasn't worth enforcing strictly.

Now, with managed motorways, there is a hard 70 mph limit
automatically enforced by cameras every few hundred meters.

This does nothing for road safety and everything for forcing
folks to check their speedo far more frequently and drive slower.

Indeed, since motorways are the safest road type by a considerable
margin, the least effective place to put any speed camera is
on the motorway. What a waste of taxpayers money.

[Terminator X]

robinessex said:

budfox said:

I recall that last time it was on the agenda was just before an election.

Must admit I thought that as well. Seem to remember the Tories declaring the war on motorists was to end during the last election. Now we have extra cameras on motorways, no only for the so called managed sections, but will/are active when the the 70mph limit is active. Lots of dirty cars with ditto number plates to be popular I suspect.

My car hasn't been washed for months, can't think why!

TX.

[budfox]

dcb said:

Indeed, since motorways are the safest road type by a considerable
margin, the least effective place to put any speed camera is
on the motorway. What a waste of taxpayers money.

...and of course that means that a pro-camera moron would roll out the "they must be working then" line. I could of course say the same about my superb anti-elephant bird feeder which has a 100% success rate.

[Nedzilla]

Don't see the point of it to be honest. Drove 30 miles up the M6 last week for the first time in a long time and don't think I ever saw 60 mph!

[Mr GrimNasty]

Quelle surprise, every time they target motorists and there's a bit of negative publicity, they roll out the 80mph carrot, it will vanish like a mirage.

[Heaveho]

If they were talking about 100, it would be time to get interested. For those of us that currently regularly travel at between 90-100 as much as possible, it's small beer.

[Wills2]

The whole 70mph speed limit is a nonsense set back in 1965 when cars had drum brakes and crossply tyres and zero driver aids.

Come to think of it 80mph is too slow as well.

[Devil2575]

kambites said:

Anyone would think there was a general election looming.

It'll never happen.

I agree.

[Spare tyre]

On a typical weekday I'd imagine increasing the speed limit will actually bring down the average speed due to more wave affect braking and a bigger difference in speed between lorries and cars which will cause more accidents

[Mr Tidy]

Wills2 said:

The whole 70mph speed limit is a nonsense set back in 1965 when cars had drum brakes and crossply tyres and zero driver aids.

Come to think of it 80mph is too slow as well.

Exactly - when it was introduced my dad had a 1954 Austin A40 Somerset - with its 1200cc engine it was revving its nuts off the one time it got to 75!
He replaced it in 1967 with a 1964 Hillman Minx 1600cc (still with crossply tyres) and couldn't get that past 85.
If 70 was a realistic limit then it needs to be at least 100 now - but I doubt it will ever increase.
A higher limit is about as likely as a referendum on the EU or a protestant Pope!

[Wills2]

Mr Tidy said:

Exactly - when it was introduced my dad had a 1954 Austin A40 Somerset - with its 1200cc engine it was revving its nuts off the one time it got to 75!
He replaced it in 1967 with a 1964 Hillman Minx 1600cc (still with crossply tyres) and couldn't get that past 85.
If 70 was a realistic limit then it needs to be at least 100 now - but I doubt it will ever increase.
A higher limit is about as likely as a referendum on the EU or a protestant Pope!

Ha! If we were still driving Ford Anglias then they would want the limit to be 30mph!

I reckon my car could brake from 70mph in half the distance the highway code states of 244ft which was set in a Anglia IIRC.

The advent of smart motorways is a concern they are slowly but surely controlling us but for what reason?

[Devil2575]

Wills2 said:

The advent of smart motorways is a concern they are slowly but surely controlling us but for what reason?

It's clearly the start of a Police state...