Shropshire Star

Welsh 50mph limits ‘should not be enforced at all times’

AA president hits out as Welsh government reduces speed limits on five major roads to 50mph in a bid to tackle air quality issues

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(PA)

Reducing speed limits on motorways to 50mph to tackle poor air quality should be enforced with variable limits, not blanket reductions, believes the AA.

Five stretches of motorway and A roads in Wales will see their speed limits cut to 50mph as part of a plan to reduce levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide.

The 50mph limit will come into force on stretches of the M4 at Port Talbot and Newport, the A494 at Deeside in north Wales, the A483 at Wrexham and the A470 between Upper Boat and Pontypridd within the next two months.

He said: “In all our surveys more than 80 per cent of drivers are concerned about air quality. It is an important issue that must be addressed.

“If speed limits are to be reduced on parts of the M4 in Wales it should be a flexible system that varies speeds and is linked to air quality monitoring so the speed limits are only reduced when air quality levels are exceeded.”

Mr King added that a more effective way to tackle air pollution would be to “target older trucks, buses, taxis and badly serviced cars”.

He added: “The strategy should not be about demonising all diesels as the newer Euro 6 diesels are relatively clean and can still be the best environmental option for long distance drivers in Wales and elsewhere.

“We believe the most effective way is to target the 10 per cent of gross polluters which tend to cause 50 per cent of the problem.”

Mr King also pointed the finger at heavy industry as a culprit for poor air quality in Wales, citing the steel industry based in Port Talbot, near the M4.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Improving air quality is a priority for the Welsh Government.

“We’ve announced a range of measures to reduce harmful emissions, including a consultation about Clean Air Zones and action to reduce emissions in the most polluted locations, as well as a new £20m Clean Air Fund to support improvements needed at a local level.”

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