Overview:
Is England going behind Germany? Although Britain’s motorways are not as good as Germany’s, the issue of speed limits has been raised in debates over Boris Johnson’s succession. Liz Truss, eventually elected leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, suggested the possibility of abolishing the regulated speedway “Smart Motorways” scheme. It went even further and opened up the possibility of eliminating speed limits on highways.
Against the flow
The speed limit on UK motorways is currently 70 miles per hour (113 km/h). Demand to raise speed limit to 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) has been on the table for a long time. Given the current energy crisis and the response of many governments, including Germany, to lower speed limits on motorways, it is quite surprising that this is happening now. The administratively independent Isle of Man has no motorways, nor speed limits on minor roads outside built-up areas (30 mph or 48 km/h in towns and cities).
