Should the speed limit be different for bikes?

I was thinking the other day, should motorcycle speed limits be higher than car ones? Before people dismiss the idea out of hand, here is some of the reasoning behind it:

+It shouldn't apply to 30mph zones, or probably not even 40mph. Speeding near schools etc. is just as bad on a bike as a car. I reckon on motorways/dual carriageways/lanes it could be, say, 10mph higher.

+Bikes are more manoeuvarable than cars and they are less likely to cause pileups, etc. - much less risk to other road users.

+Bikers are more vunerable- this in itself makes all but the most reckless of lunatics (who wouldn't abide by speed limits in any event) very careful and observant, compared to most car drivers. We're also not going to be using a cell phone/eating etc. at the same time (I know drivers shouldn't be, but the possibility is there).

+Bikes have far better visibility than most cars- we can see over the top of cars, position ourselves to see round 4x4s, etc. as a result we are in a better position to see ahead and pre-emptively brake, change lanes etc. to deal with the situation ahead.

+Lets be honest, most bikers, even those who are seen as very safe riders, regularly break the speed limit by more than 10mph+ at some point or other and suffer no ill effects. This does seem to indicate it's a lot safer to go fast on a bike (road/weather/etc. permitting) than a car.

Bad points of such an idea:

-May be difficult to enforce/signpost effectively. Could be controversial with the anti-biking bods.

-May further encourage bikers to go too fast for the conditions/visibility/etc.

Any comments? I'm not saying I reckon it'd ever come in, just if people agree theres a serious case for the notion...

i think what your saying is correct basically, but also it could be argued that it is harder to control a bike at high speeds than a car (esp with all this oil and salt on the roads) and how would it be enforced to the bikers - not the scooter chavs.

dont think there is a chance in hell of it going through tho tell you the truth/.

I thought this was already in existance--- only problem is getting caught

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

I was thinking the other day, should motorcycle speed limits be higher than car ones?

I thought it already was

[Sid Squid]

A number of countries already have differing speed limits for different classes of vehicles, and of course we have different speed limits for lorries and busses, so there may be a precedent already.

There is a big but here though, and it's well demonstrated by the helmet and seat belt laws. As you will no doubt remember for many years there was a law compelling you to wear a lid, but no law compelling you to wear a seatbelt, this was easy for the British public to accept, we, as riders, were easily discriminated against in this way, ultimately the final nail in the coffin of the campaign to repeal the lid law is the seatbelt law, there is no way the public would possibly contemplate the discrimination of drivers at the ease of riders. I should be amazed if it were even considered to positively discriminate in the favour of bikes, so I'll not be waiting for it.

I always thought the speed limit was higher for me; never mind what I'm riding or driving.

Originally Posted by leesimons

Whats a "speed limit"?

The highest speed at which I feel it's safe to ride on any given road at a particular time.... Well, that's my interpretation of it anyway

.

Now this is the kind of dangerous comment that must be carefully considered before being floated.

If you ask the question "should bikes have a different speed limit?" too loudly someone will hear you and think its a good idea. Only trouble is they'll reduce our speed limit.

[Balky001]

I agree Patch, someone will look at the single vehicle accident figures, the number of bikes vs cars on roads against fatal accidents, and reduce bikes to B roads with 32mph restrictors on them. The salt and diesel spills campaign would be used as an arguement that bikes are not appropriate to use on roads as they cannot cope with 'normal' daily use. And we will all need three wheels as knee downs are social unacceptable. When I say someone will look at this, I mean someone running for election of course, and have a large old lady or bad tempered farmer element in their constituancy! That said, i think anything under 100mph on motorways is very restrained!

Then the lot of you will get ****ed off beyond rational thought, and collectively move to Canada.......... (That's fine by me. Bring your beer, but keep your....ahem....."cuisine") Kidding, honest