Motoring News

Thousands of residential road will soon be 20mph or less under new plans from the government, it has been reported.

It is believed that the government has set a target to cut road deaths from 3,000 to 2,000 a year. Ministers believe that the new 20 mph limits will cut road deaths by a third over the next decade.

variable limits outside schools with electronic signs will tell drivers to do 20mph or less at peak times are planned, with an army of cameras to detect when drivers creep above the limits in some of the new 20mph towns.

The government are also planning a lower drink-drive limit, six penalty points for serious breaches of the speed limit and stricter penalties for not wearing a seat belt in the near future.

Campaigners are threatening to stage mass protests over the rising price of fuel, much like the 2000 protests that caused nation wide disruption.

The campaigners are secretly planning on aligning their protests with a two day strike planned by a major oil refinery in Scotland called Ineos refinery. The refinery workers are walking out due a dispute concerning pensions, and will help the petrol price campaigners cause as much disruption as possible.

Mark Francis, the co-chairman of the People’s Fuel Lobby said ‘We are getting taxed to the hilt to pay for unnecessary spending by this government. People will no doubt remember what happened in 2000. We hope this protest, along with the planned strike, will be as big, if not bigger. We fully expect motorists to fill their cars in advance and as more people fill up, the quicker the forecourts will run out.’

With petrol prices hitting £1.18 and diesel hitting £1.22 in places, and a proposed 2p increase in fuel tax to be introduced in October, lets hope the government takes notice of what the people are saying.

There were rumors a month or so ago suggestion that government in Germany were entertaining the idea of introducing speed limits to the famous Autobahn sections of motorways through out the country. This idea was not for the safety of those using the roads, but for the effect the high speed has on the environment.

Since the rumors i have not heard anything about the plans being put into effect, until now. The Northern state of Bremen has now introduced a 75mph speed limit to all of the regions 60kms of Autobahn.  Bremen’s environment minister Reinhard Loske was quoted saying ‘a good day for traffic safety and a signal about protecting the environment and climate’.

The fear that more states will now follow Bremen’s example is growning, though only time will tell if the rest of Germany’s Autobahns see a similar limit implemented in the future.