Raising motorway speed limits: an opportunity to break the mould of consultation practice?

Tom Cohen, Centre for Transport Studies, UCL

16 March 2012

Tom Cohen worked at Steer Davies Gleave for a decade before starting to study for a doctorate at University College London’s Centre for Transport Studies in 2009. He does freelance consultancy and is particularly interested in citizen participation and sustainable transport.

In undertaking to consult on a proposal to increase the motorway speed limit to 80mph, the then transport secretary, Philip Hammond, rekindled a debate that occurs whenever there is to be a consultation on a significant change to the status quo.

Starting at the technical end, is there a right answer concerning what the motorway speed limit should be? Perhaps we should more properly ask whether there is a right way to generate and appraise options? Adherents of the Department’s WebTAG...