DfT considering reduction in speed limit on rural roads
Mon 09 March 2009
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The Department for Transport is considering a reduction in the speed limit on most rural roads from 60mph to 50mph as a part of its new road safety strategy. The DfT says that research shows that a lower speed limit could save up to 250 lives a year and cut CO2 emissions.
The DfT is likely to propose that where local councils want to retain a 60mph speed limit on rural, single-carriageway roads, they will have to justify this retention.
The DfT website explains that carbon dioxide emissions are proportional to fuel consumption. At lower constant speeds total emissions of CO2 are relatively high. With increasing speed these emissions decrease until a threshold of about 30 mph (50 km/h). Above this any increase in speed leads to a steep increase in CO2 emissions.
A Department for Transport spokesperson (reported in Local Transport Today) said, however, that no decision had yet been reached on including the idea in the forthcoming consultation on road safety.
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