24.11.2022
French prime minister does not support speed limits on motorways for the sake of the environment
Photo by: Elisabeth Borne / Flickr
According to French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born, the maximum speed limit on motorways from 130 to 110 km/h to protect the environment could go against the interests of citizens, although it would reduce emissions. She said this on the BFM TV channel.
A lower speed limit would actually reduce fuel consumption by about 20%. Elisabeth Bourne recalled that the so-called Energy Sobriety Plan presented by the government prescribes officials to limit driving speeds during work trips in cars to 110 km/h.
“But imposing this restriction on all French people is, in my opinion, not the right thing to do. There are people who have to travel by road and they may be time constrained. So I think it is important to communicate the savings and the reduction in emissions resulting from driving slower, but we cannot act with bans,” said the Prime Minister.
The speed limit requirement was on a list that eco-activists proposed following a Citizens’ Climate Council debate back in 2020. At the time, they also demanded a ban in 2025 on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines that emit more than 110g of CO2 per kilometre. However, Elizabeth Bourne did not support this demand either.
“Banning combustion engine vehicles from 2025 is simply not possible,” Born said when asked by presenters about the transition to greener transport in the country and the hypothetical complete phase-out of sales of combustion engine vehicles.
By that time, Europe simply would not have time to produce the 1–1.5 million electric cars that would be expected to completely replace the city’s car fleet. In addition, not all citizens can afford an electric car, she stressed.
That said, there is no denying the potential of the electric car market in France. Last year, for example, one out of five cars in the country had a battery. As of November 2022, the French already had a total of 240,000 electric cars.
Cover photo: Nick Fewings / Unsplash
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