Speed limits on many roads are soporific. You can knit, SMS, read the paper and roll a cigarette all at once, just to keep yourself amused and awake while trying to make ground across our huge, sparse urban sprawls. A lot of the limit setting seems to do with the notion that foot and vehicle traffic should co-exist, some PC ideal about the sanctity of life in the street, the rights of kids playing street cricket, people aimlessly walking their dogs etc. Roads are for cars and footpaths are for people, red light stop, green light go.

Pretty cogent argument, Mr Leyonhjelm.

Unfortunately you are up against two formidable obstacles:

i) substantial revenue: politicians, for the use of;

ii) the nanny state, that is dead against the idea of anyone actually taking the remotest responsibility for themselves, if it is possible to legislate against it.

Sadly, there is also a third inhibiting factor. To bring our roads (I'm talking NSW here) up to the standard needed to support higher speeds, we'd need to spend several gazillions of dollars. You will know that where high speeds are allowed overseas (e.g. Germany) the roads have solid, cavity-free surfaces. Best of luck finding even a 100 consecutive metres of road in good repair in NSW.

The equation isn't looking good. Campaign for higher speed limits and all you'll hear is "you will be murdering our children". Underneath that fib is the reality: they'd miss the revenue, and they couldn't afford the proper infrastructure anyway.

...Far worse than speedsters are the plodders; I have witnessed some of the most amazing acrobatics performed by frustrated motorists, interminably log jammed behind impassive “plonkers” driving at deliberately provocative speeds well below maximum, blissfully ignorant to the trailing convoy of fuming victims in the rear.

...How does the law deal with that particular hazard first and foremost, enabling motorists to at least reach the currently set speed limits?

Excellent article David, though I fear Pericles is absolutely correct as to the reasons why your proposals will never happen. It is just a lose-lose situation for the government and any relevant administrators to let the people actually start telling THEM what to do- worst still deciding how much pocket money they are going to be getting!

Whenever a new speed camera is installed along a road, the traffic decelerates to a good 20km BELOW the speed limit. And often the speed limit itself is altered to something ridiculously slow- despite the road in question being an expressway with no driveways or turnoffs whatsoever, and exceptionally straight to boot.

And on another issue, is that I have witnessed too many people to count who have cut across multiple lanes last-minute to take an exit on the opposite side of the road they had been preferring for a long time, suddenly brake or decelerate when changing lanes (especially those eventually leading to a turnoff about a hundred meters ahead)- and worse, tailgating and weaving through tight traffic, drifting between lanes, suddenly jumping out into oncoming traffic- yet these are never, ever, ever taken seriously- let alone make it into very many commercials and road signs.

When the road toll gets to be zero, you will have a case to up the speed limit. Serial speed offenders have no place on the road, with or without a car. Road trauma costs billions a year, hence the restrictions. The road deaths are being looked at now to separate suisides from Drug, and alcohol related deaths.
We will probably see zero alcohol readings in the near future.
Most deaths now are caused by drivers on drugs.

fascinating response a597. "Serial speed offenders have no place on the road with or without a car". That has to be about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Are they supposed to just stay at home for the rest of their lives?
"Most deaths are caused by drivers on drugs". Where do you get the statistics to support this? If you are going to make assertions of fact like that then you really need to have some evidence to support them or people will simply dismiss you as an ignorant fool.