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Paul Barker's blog: 10 January 2014 - M1 speed cut could set a worrying precedent
Date: 14 January 2014
Early January is never the nicest bit of the year as the country, filled with food and drink, drifts back in from an extended break and battles through grotty weather, which this year has so far come in the form of wind and rain rather than cold and snow, although I'm sure that will follow in due course. (Happy new year!)
Any festive hangovers won't have been helped by the country's legislators, who seem to have got off to a flier in 2014. Proposals to cut the speed limit on part of the M1 to 60mph are a worrying precedent, coming so soon after the Government abolished plans to increase the limit to 80mph.
Justifying the move on the grounds of local air pollution is interesting and a little short-sighted. Does that mean electric vehicles, which give out zero local air pollution, should by rights still be allowed to do a higher speed?
And what are the odds of the Government reversing its decision once local air pollution specifically from traffic on the M1 drops to acceptable levels? (That will happen in time thanks to moves to more efficient vehicles, driven by the latest Euro6 emissions legislation as well as electric and range-extender models.)
It reeks of a half-baked idea that will hopefully go the way of the caravan and pasty taxes, but my fear is that it won't, and instead could be the first example of a move towards an increased focus on local air pollution.
