A round-up of today's other stories in brief
UK transport secretary: 'Increase limit to 130km'
COMMUTERS SITTING on clogged British roads early Friday may have thought they were listening to a late April Fool’s Day joke on the radio.
British transport secretary, Philip Hammond, told BBC that the government is considering raising the highway speed limit to 80mph, from 70mph (130km/h from 113km/h).
The government argues that the increase on 3,540km of the country’s motorway will improve economic efficiency and personal satisfaction by shaving valuable minutes off some journeys.
“The speed limits were set in the 1960s,” said Hammond – when the speedometer on the average car went up to only 70mph. The government says that, since 1965 when the limit was set, there has been a 75 per cent decline in the number of annual road deaths. It insists that road safety is still a priority.
“Motoring has changed,” said Hammond. “Its got enormously safer. Our roads are among the safest in Europe and we need to review the speed limit if we’re to retain public confidence.”
The proposal is not without critics. “The Saudi oil minister will rub his hands with glee when he learns of Philip Hammond’s decision, Emma Gibson, senior transportation campaigner for Greenpeace, said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the department for transport said a consultation period would be established, with a view to enacting the new rules in 2013.
New car sales up 5% on 2010
NEW CAR SALES for the first nine months of the year are up 4.76 per cent, with 87,182 registrations – but figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that sales in September are down 35.3 per cent on 2010.
There has been a significant drop in sales since the scrappage scheme ended in June. Registrations last month were just 2,775, compared to 4,289 last September.
Toyota remains the most popular brand followed by VW, Ford and Renault. Premium brands Audi and BMW feature in the top 10, in ninth and 10th place respectively. The greatest increase
In terms of models, Ford’s Focus is our favourite, followed by VW’s Golf and Toyota’s Avensis.
Regionally, new car registrations are worst affected on the west coast, with sales in both Donegal and Kerry down 9 per centso far this year. Sales in Dublin are up 12.2 per cent to 32,822.
Irish buyers continue to opt for diesel. Alternative powertrains have yet to capture the public’s interest, with 3.3 per cent of new vehicles registered as flexifuel, while hybrids make up just 0.8 per cent of new sales and electric cars registered so far this year number just 44 – a far cry from the 500 or so new Leaf sales predicted by Nissan at the start of the year.