83 per cent of Brits oppose Government plans to reduce speed limit

The British public has voted overwhelmingly against government proposals to reduce the national speed limit from 60 to 50mph on single-carriageway roads, according to a poll from MSN Cars which saw 83 per cent of the 40,554 voters rejecting the idea.The plan to reduce the speed limit from 60 to 50mph in rural areas and from 30 to 20mph in urban areas could be imposed as early as next year, would impact up to two thirds of Britain’s roads and would be the most dramatic cut since 1978, when the national speed limit was reduced from 70 to 60mph.The Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers also told the Commons that a petition on the Number 10 website calling for the prime minister not to reduce the national speed limit to 50mph was in the top three public petitions.The new proposed speed limits will be monitored by a series of speed cameras designed to monitor a car’s average speed between distances of up to six miles, however there are no plans to make alteration to rural road signs showing the drop in speed limit, leaving unaware motorists at risk of a fine.According to Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick the current government consultation is designed produce guidance for local authorities rather than stipulating a blanket ban.In support of the proposed changes The National Audit Office recently unveiled a report claiming 20mph zones enforced by road humps reduced collisions involving pedestrians by 29 per cent and cyclists by 63 per cent.Tom Evans, Content Manager of MSN Cars comments, “This is a very emotive subject for all road users and is sure to be debated for some time. There are strong arguments on both sides but as drastic measures are being considered the most essential thing is that UK motorists are constantly kept abreast of any developments.”

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