Police ignore High Court judge.

[Winston001]

Which underlines the point that speed limits are essentially arbitrary.

If 100km/h is safer than 115km/h, then surely 90km/h is safer than 100km/h? So why isn't the speed limit 90km/h?

But by the same argument 80km/h must surely be safer than 90km/h? etc etc.

No, the speed limit isn't arbitrary. Rather, it is a function of road engineering. We have a long, narrow, mountainous country with a small economy. Building roads is expensive for us. So the best compromise between having good but modest roads everywhere is to limit the way they are built. In fact the design speed for many of our roads is 80kph which is why there is constant work straightening corners, taking out dips etc to try to catch up with real world speeds.

I do think we could move to 110k nationally, and 120k on designated roads such as motorways.

The downside is the jump in energy use which will cost us plenty individually and as a nation.

[Jantar]

No, the speed limit isn't arbitrary. Rather, it is a function of road engineering. .......
I do think we could move to 110k nationally, and 120k on designated roads such as motorways. ....

Great. When the Clyde dam was built, the new road to Cromwell was designed as future proof, and has a design speed of 140 kmh.

[swbarnett]

The downside is the jump in energy use which will cost us plenty individually and as a nation.

Aren't most vehicles designed to be most fuel efficient at 120kph?

[Kickaha]

Great. When the Clyde dam was built, the new road to Cromwell was designed as future proof, and has a design speed of 140 kmh.

Having just ridden it for the first time last weekend at speeds not far off that I can well believe it