Wheels Magazine Petition - Raise the speed limit and lower the toll

[Ryan_R]

He didn't say it was the speed limit - just the average speed they do. JC on TopGear has made similar references before (not quite that fast though).

The average speed on the M1 (Citylink, beyond the tunnel) leaving Melbourne in the afternoon pre-peak is 90kph despite the limit being 80.

[FSI 220]

My in-laws live on a farm, a five an a half hour drive at 120/130 would be massively safer than seven hours at the posted 100/110... Leaving on a Friday evening after a hard days work would mean getting there at 12:30 rather than 2am.

What I find annoying is that fifty plus tonnes of B-Double undoubtedly on re-grooves doing 100 through the sweepers on the Monaro Hwy at night at Kangaroo/Wombat hours in the pouring rain is legal... yet a modern ABS/Trac/VDC car doing the cruise control ovverun thing at 110 during the day/ no one on the road on a public holiday is half a license.

(and no.... it was not me)

[Blitzen]

Agree - absolutely laughable. 110mph (miles per hour) is average in UK.

What is not laughable is the average punters driving skills. No concept of smart lane changing, left lane manners, driving well in the rain, use of headlights.

We need to raise driving skills before speed limits

That, and Canberra drivers... I love Canberra, but they have the worst drivers in Australia (I have lived in or driven in most states of Australia, bar WA). The GDE/Parkway here in Canberra is one such road that should be 100-130 all the way along (divided dual carriageway the entire length), but is 80, 90, then 100 then 80 along it... No sence at all...

[sVWatt]

110mph average on UK motorways? Pull the other one.

Your right. I refer to the London Orbital. The M25. If you havent actually lived in the UK, you are forgiven for not knowing.
Its 117 miles long or round since it is a circle around London, and no speed tickets have been issued there
M25: not a single motorist caught by speed cameras in a year - Telegraph
With variable 'limits' people can and do navigate the full circumference in under an hour.

Wiki states the average speed to be 117 miles-per-hour

[Eaglehawk]

How did they do the Victorian leg of their test without getting a ticket for the average speed cameras? Unless they don't really work...

[VWindahouse]

He slowed down in those sections

[BluChris]

Heard him interviewed. Not only did he do this but he admitted there were plenty of sections where a 130 limit would not be appropriate even by his own standards. Great publicity for a mag with falling sales but not a hugely meaningful exercise

[team_v]

The worst part is that we get a road upgrade (dual split 4-lane highway to the gold coast) or new infrastructure (like all the tunnels here in Brisbane) and they keep the old speed limit or give you a low limit on new infrastructure.

The other problem isee is the variation in speed limits for what is essentially the same road.
You can have a road that goes from 60-70-80 with no variation in the surface or number of lanes.

[gldgti]

You can have a road that goes from 60-70-80 with no variation in the surface or number of lanes.

Particularly up where you are, I think this is a function of trying to reduce noise from roads that pass through built up areas. The faster the traffic, the noisier it is.

I've often noticed this a lot from south of the tweed region to brisbane. Less so in Sydney, but true of some areas certainly.

I live in a pretty quiet area but with a busy 2 lane road about 300m away, and on saturday mornings when the traffic is busiest but its congested so that everyone is only manageing about 40km/h, its much quieter than at night when there are less cars but they are doing 70km/h (its a 60 zone)

[Ideo]

Heard him interviewed. Not only did he do this but he admitted there were plenty of sections where a 130 limit would not be appropriate even by his own standards. Great publicity for a mag with falling sales but not a hugely meaningful exercise

I don't think anyone was calling for it to be blanket.

Saying "well, some areas aren't safe so that means it should never happen" is just a non-argument. Yeah. Some roads aren't safe for 80 zones. Doesn't mean we don't have them.