New 110kph limit 'not a priority'
A blanket 110kph speed limit has been rejected for motorways across France because ministers see no real need for it
PLANS to cut motorway speed limits from 130 to 110kph have been put on the back burner, according to the secretary of state for ecology, Chantal Jouanno.
The proposal could have cut emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 6%, but Ms Jouanno said: “It is not a bad idea, but it is not a priority.”
Transport secretary Dominique Bussereau said there was no need for new laws if drivers respected the laws which were already in place.
They were speaking as an experiment started in Lorraine which sees the speed limit reduced on 180km of motorways – the A30, A33, A330 and A313.
This follows tests on the A31 where a 110kph speed limit was introduced alongside a ban on lorries overtaking in the outside lane.
The road, which links Nancy and Luxembourg, is used by 60,000-100,000 vehicles a day, including up to 15,000 HGVs – the heaviest-used haulage route in France.
It has already seen a drop in accidents and a reduction in journey times. The more regular speeds – with drivers generally sticking between 90 and 110kph - have led to less bunching while the HGV overtaking ban has cut jams.
Speed limits were also reduced over the summer on the A8 in the Alpes-Maritimes to cut noxious emissions and to reduce accidents on a road where the speed limits alternated between 110 and 130kph sections.
