An MP has called on the Government to test higher speed limits on motorways across England to improve driving conditions.
Sir Bill Wiggin, Conservative MP for North Herefordshire, said higher speed limits would help people get to work faster and boost productivity.
Speaking at an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on rural transport, the MP put forward the idea to increase limits.
He suggests that the M50 – which runs through parts of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and his constituency in Herefordshire – would be the “perfect motorway” to test higher limits.
Sir Bill Wiggin said trials need to be completed to ensure any speed limit changes are safe
GETTY
The national speed limit on motorways is 70mph, although Wiggin did not suggest how large any increases to limits should be.
Wiggin, who has been an MP since 2001, said people could get to work quicker “in and around the country faster” with increased speed limits.
He did acknowledge that further analysis was needed to ensure that the new plans would be safe.
The MP, who was Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, said: “We need to test and trial increased speed limits in line with safer cars and better brakes.
“And I suggest that an excellent place to test this would be the M50. This is the perfect motorway to try to increase the speed limit.
“It is short, safe, and a truly excellent motorway where we could easily monitor the safety of a higher speed limit.”
There have been previous calls for the Government to increase speed limits on motorways to 80mph, as first suggested by Philip Hammond, who was Labour’s Transport Secretary in 2011.
According to the PA news agency, George Osborne, who was Conservative Chancellor in 2015, said he would look into introducing such a change in England, although this was quashed.
Responding to Sir Wiggin, transport minister Guy Opperman spoke on behalf of the Government, adding that steps need to be taken before speed limits are changed.
He said: “It is a matter for himself and more particularly his local authority and the National Highways, who govern the strategic road network, to sit down and discuss and then set the speed limits on the individual roads.
“They have the local knowledge and are best placed to do so, but it is something for the local authority to drive forwards with National Highways at the first instance.”
Sir Bill Wiggin also suggested ring-fencing funds raised through vehicle excise duty (VED) to ensure money is spent on roads.
This comes as new data has found that pothole claims are up by 40 per cent in 2030, with claims soaring by 138 per cent since 2016.
Experts are also warning that drivers could see more potholes at the start of this year given the impact of Storm Henk and the low temperatures being seen across the UK.
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The MP said higher speed limits would boost productivity
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He added: “The Treasury takes money from car drivers to fund over-paid train drivers and an inefficient Network Rail which could have been privatised years ago.
“More money is wasted on bus lanes, cycle paths and not very smart motorways. Yet the wretched potholes escape unrepaired.”