Dutch to cut speed limits to reduce emissions

The Netherlands will cut daytime speed limits on motorways to 100 kilometres per hour (60 miles per hour) to deal with a pollution crisis that has sparked protests by farmers, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday.

The government is grappling with how to reduce emissions of nitrogen and ammonia after a court ruled earlier this year that its current policies breach European Union rules.

The new speed limit, expected to be introduced in 2020, will be the joint lowest in Europe along with Cyprus. Cars will be allowed to drive at the current limit of 130 kph only at night, between 1900 and 0600.

"No one likes this," Rutte told a press conference, saying it was a "rotten measure".

But he said it was needed "to stop the Netherlands from coming to a halt".

In May a Dutch court ruled that the government was breaching EU rules to protect nature reserves from gases such as ammonia and nitrous oxide.

Major building projects for roads and airports have been put on hold in the eurozone's fifth biggest economy as the government seeks ways to meet the court order.

It has also brought in changes to farmers' working methods, for example for animal feed -- sparking huge protests involving thousands of tractors, one of which caused the country's biggest ever traffic jam.

The new speed limit is partly designed to show the farmers that other parts of society must also take some of the pain of dealing with the crisis, Dutch media said.

The speed limit cut was opposed by Rutte's centre-right VVD party -- which was dubbed the "Vroom-vroom" party after it successfully campaigned to have the national limit raised to 130 kph in 2012.

But Rutte compromised with more environmentally-minded parties in order to preserve his fragile ruling coalition.

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Paris e-scooters under pressure to prove green credentials
Paris (AFP) Nov 13, 2019
Pulling on makeshift roped hooks along a sun-drenched bank of the Seine River in Paris, Youva Hadjali and Edison Gompo fish out two electric scooters - not the most ecological fate for devices billed as a carbon-free fix for strained urban transport systems. As city officials vow to rein in the use of wildly popular e-scooters, their short lifespans, along with the energy consumed to build and service them, have many wondering if they are as good for the environment as operators say. Hadjali an ... read more