Slow down: Dutch cut max speed limit to rein in pollution

highway
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Dutch government is lowering the top speed limit on highways in a bid to put the brakes on emissions of the pollutant nitrogen oxide.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Wednesday that the will be cut from 130 kilometers per hour to 100 km/h (81-62 miles per hour) on many of the country's highways.

It was a climbdown for Rutte, whose is known as the "vroom vroom" party because of its support of motorists.

Rutte says he is "unbelievably unhappy that the 130 is disappearing."

The measure follows a Dutch Supreme Court decision in May that said the government's rules for granting permits to projects that emit nitrogen oxide breach European Union environmental law.

That led to a freeze on permits for many construction projects.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Slow down: Dutch cut max speed limit to rein in pollution (2019, November 13) retrieved 30 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2019-11-dutch-max-limit-rein-pollution.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Dutch join G7-led push to rid oceans of plastics

8 shares

Feedback to editors