Weekly Poll Lowdown

Well it seems that you are broadly representative of the public opinion because a majority of you want to increase the speed limit to 80mph on motorways and dual carriageways. A sizeable minority however do not, too concerned with safety and the climate probably.

Should the Speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways be increased to 80mph?

Yes.	57%
No.	36%
Unsure.	7%

Total votes: 14

As a sort of  motorist, now that I have passed my test, I support this move. Cars are so more up to date than most people give credit to nowadays. This is even more clear when you look at the highway code where for example the stopping distances haven't changed since the 1950s. We really have improved in safety too for passengers and pedestrians with ABS as standard and other technical trinkets. Indeed since the introduction of the 70mph speed limit road accidents have decreased by 75% because cars have become safer. So I do agree with Philip Hammond on the speed limit going up to 80mph.

Plans to increase the speed limit to 80mph have been kicked into the long grass by the government.

What I think is odd about the speed limit change is that the government has actually stopped trying to get this implemented. It is not a major vote winning policy so it is not so key if there is a U turn over it but it is very much supported. This is not like the forest privatisation U turn, so far back in time now that I can't remember the year it happened, because this policy is popular with the majority of both men and women. The claims that the government have dropped this because women are not as behind this policy as men seems to be rather inconsistent with the facts. This is shown to be a lot more likely when the newspapers and journalists peddling this argument are also the ones trying to claim Dave hates women.

I think the real reason for this U turn is more to do with coalition politics. Whenever the topic of an 80mph speed limit was debated the Lib Dems rarely talked about safety and were concerned more with green issues. Of late the green credentials of the Government have taken a bit of a battering from the wind turbine rule changes to defeat on carbon targets for businesses. I think this is more likely a green appeasement issue. 80mph speed limits as I said are not key vote winners. Wind turbines and a growing economy are however. I suspect there has thus been some sort of green trade off in government polices.

The Lib Dems want us to drive more greenly and not speed around at 80mph.

Please vote in the new poll.