80mph limit will cost £1bn say campaigners
Charities rally to fight proposals for 80mph motorway limit, counting the cost in money and lives
Road safety charity Brake is spearheading a coalition of like-minded organisations that has launched a campaign to protest against the government's plans to increase motorway speed limits. You can read the official press release here.
The plan to raise speed limits was originally announced by former transport secretary Phillip Hammond and, should it come to fruition, would start with a trial period on selected parts of the motorways network.
But the Brake-led coalition vehemently opposes the idea, saying that costs will "exceed £1 billion annually in economic terms, mean more families needlessly suffering from motorway crashes and casualties, millions of tonnes more carbon pumped into the atmosphere each year and further damage to tranquillity in the countryside".
Brake reckons, specifically, that the costs to health and emergency services could hit £62.4m, carbon costs would total £180.4m, and £766.6m in fuel costs.
Roads Minister Mike Penning said: "The Department is carrying out work to assess the potential economic, safety and environmental impacts of trialling 80mph speed limits on motorways where variable limits are currently in place.
"This work is ongoing and no final decisions have yet been taken about which stretches of motorway would be included in any proposed trial. We plan to bring forward detailed proposals and start consultation during the next few months."
Do it now.
If these people had their way we would all be living in caves and be hoping that one day someone might invent a round thing.
If Darwin was allowed to have his way we would be allowed to kill these people to cleanse the gene pool.
The reference to "carbon" shows that they have no concept of how an engine works in reality.
Bog off Brake, you self righteous numpties. Is there a more annoying group out there? And did anybody expect them NOT to kick off over this?
Bloody idiots. More fatalities? ps off idiots. Modern cars are fantastic at keeping their occupants alive in a crash situation, and I would suggest the onus should be on driver behaviour before blaming the speed limit for accidents!!!
And as mentioned above, if it's a matter of concern of more cost to poorer families in increased fuel consumption - drive slower!
I often drive at 60mph if I'm early to see a client to save fuel!
k off Brake!As somebody else said, people who can't afford the additional fuel can still travel at 60 or 70mph
The city of Barcelona imposed a 80kph limit on all its many motorways, belt roads etc. The stated object was to reduced collisions and pollution.
Serious collisions increased by 40 percent and pollution was hardly changed.
The plan has now been dropped in favour of variable limits depending on traffic.
In Spain the national speed limit was reduced to 110kph during the last energy 'crisis'; all the signage countrywide was changed.
It has now reverted back to the original 120kph with all the signs changed back. I don't know what the cost was but cannot imagine it could be anything like that mentioned in the article.
I know the figures are from a pressure group with their own agenda but get it at least a little realistic surely?
People will, I imagine, carry on driving at the same speed they already do.
B. Exactly. people already drive at more than 70 anyway so it will make absolutely no difference at all.
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