The people arguing for faster motorways never quite made the case for ninety: No won clearly, and the floor’s most-respected argument rejected the leap without defending the status quo. “70mph is outdated, but 90mph brings too many downsides” captured the room’s appetite for reform — and its reluctance to make this the reform.
No’s case was less about obsolete machinery than fallible drivers. One of its strongest voices urged voters to factor in “human behaviour!”, while another dismissed the proposal as “unnecessarily dangerous.” The winning side’s argument was therefore not that modern cars had stood still, but that the road would still contain uneven vehicles, hurried decisions and late braking.
Yes voters had a credible case, but it was a conditional one. They pointed to safer engineering — “modern cars are far better able to handle these speeds safely” — and argued that the real variable was conduct: “it’s all down to competent driving.” That left the two sides talking past each other: Yes treated speed as a choice competent drivers could manage, while No treated a higher legal ceiling as something that would reshape everyone’s behaviour.
The wider argument is the familiar trade-off between mobility, road safety and decarbonisation, and the room did not ignore the costs. The floor’s most-respected No case warned that “Going faster burns more fuel in a shorter period of time”, while Yes voices countered with managed limits, road conditions and variable enforcement. Beneath the headline division, both camps repeatedly offered a middle course.
This was not a rejection of modernisation; it was a rejection of acceleration without stronger guarantees about the humans, traffic and energy costs attached to it.
35 Opinions
70mph is outdated, but 90mph brings too many downsides. Raising the limit to 80mph would be a reasonable middle ground.
YES ....but Not to 90mph I'd suggest 80mph to bring us in line with most of France & Germany (130kph 81mph). Today's vehicles brakes etc are so much better than the days when the 70mph was introduced. The 70mph on motorways was only introduced to stop the AC Cobra car company road testing it's sports cars on the M1 in the early 60s. Aparently they acheaved 185mph one night in 1964 & after a public outcry, the speed limit was introduced in 1965!
It's unnecessarily dangerous.
With modern cars the issue is not really the speed limit as this is so systematically broken. It’s how cars are driven. Police blame speed for accidents as this is how they get convictions. I think 90 would be as safe but it’s all down to competent driving.
I am all for reviewing all speed limits with the technology in cars today, braking is far more advanced. I would set the limit at 80mph as that is reasonable increase.
I don't think the limit should be increased to 90 mph, I think if people are honest many exceed the speed limit regularly when given the opportunity. I feel it would only increase the likelihood of reckless drivers to do more damage and cause more accidents.
It isn't 90, who knew?
No. The capabilities of cars on the road are not on a levelled playing field! Ask me again at the appropriate level of technology - but I will still factor in human behaviour!
90 is too much. If it 80 I would have said yes
I voted yes with the German autobahns in mind but the increased limit could be limited to lower traffic spots and in less busy times and could be managed like the variable speed limits