Share

UK speed-cut: What about SA?

LONDON, England - More than two-thirds of drivers want the UK government to apply the brakes to a plan to cut the speed limit on a section of the country's main north-south freeway.

A poll by vehicle dealer Motorpoint showed 78% of respondents opposed proposals announced earlier in 2014 to reduce the upper limit on a section of the M1 from 112km/h to 96km/h (70 to 60mph). More than 4100 people participated.

VIDEO: History of Britain's M1

In South Africa this would mean a proportional reduction from 120km/h to 104km/h.

The UK's Highways Agency revealed that a 54km section of the M1 through two counties, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, would have a maximum speed limit of 96km/h from 7am-7pm from 2015 to help meet European Union clean-air targets.

‘FREE-UP TRAFFIC’

Motorpoint's MD Mark Carpenter said: "The result of our poll is definitive – drivers don’t want to go any slowe. They want to get their destination quicker.

"The government needs to focus its efforts on using the motorway ‘smarter’, adding lanes wherever possible to free-up traffic and avoid costly queues.

"Road users are already doing their bit for the environment by buying greener cars in record numbers and the government needs to respond in kind rather than by introducing measures that will only contribute to making our motorways even slower."
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE