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MPs have released a new report with a number of recommendations to reduce the country’s dependence on oil – including lowering speed limits and introducing weekend driving restrictions.
Parliament’s environmental audit committee has called on the Department for Transport to consult on reducing the speed limit on Britain’s motorways by 6mph to 104mph in a bid to reduce vehicle fuel consumption.
It also called for ‘car-free Sundays’ in major cities and the encouragement of lift sharing for commuters, while ministers are calling for drastic measures to help cut oil imports.
Can highway speed limits be lowered to 104 km/h? MPs have called on the DfT to discuss a series of drastic measures to reduce fuel consumption and demand for oil imports
The recommendations are set out in the commission’s fourth report on “Accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies‘, which was published Thursday morning.
It warns that emissions from road transport have been ‘moving in the wrong direction’ in recent years, due to an increase in sales of heavier SUVs and crossovers and more vans on the road due to rising demand for deliveries post-pandemic .
It listed points raised last year by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to limit fuel consumption and thus reduce demand for oil, particularly from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
The IEA proposed a series of proposals to cut off supplies to Russia by reducing transport-related consumption of fossil fuels.
One of these is reducing speed limits on highways by at least 10 km/h (6 mph).
It also recommended car-free Sundays and alternative car use in major cities, as well as the promotion of car-sharing and practices that reduce fuel consumption.
Other suggestions include the introduction of working from home three days a week where possible, making public transport cheaper and encouraging walking and cycling.
The IEA also wants ‘efficient use’ of lorries and goods delivery, more availability of high-speed and night trains instead of airplanes, and avoiding business travel unless absolutely necessary.
Parliament’s environmental audit committee has backed a number of recommendations from the International Energy Agency, including the introduction of ‘car-free Sundays’ in cities
The agency estimates that if these measures – and greater use of electric vehicles – are fully implemented, they could reduce global oil demand by 2.7 million barrels per day.
“Adopting the immediate and longer-term recommendations would put countries on track for a decline in oil demand consistent with what is needed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” it added.
Any move to lower speed limits on Britain’s motorways would stand in stark contrast to plans to lift them entirely, as proposed by former Prime Minister Liz Truss during her Conservative Party leadership campaign last year.
The then Foreign Secretary said in August that he was “prepared to explore the radical idea” of converting Britain’s motorways into a German motorway system without speed limits.
The recommendations run counter to plans to completely abolish motorway speed limits put forward by former Prime Minister Liz Truss during her leadership campaign last year.
MPs on the select committee said they recognize the government’s plan to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 will have a major impact on reducing demand for oil, but warned that this will take decades may take as drivers will not be forced to switch to EVs from that deadline.
“The best way to reduce the UK’s future exposure to oil price volatility is to reduce oil consumption,” the report said.
“The rapid growth in electric car sales is encouraging, but it will take many years to replace petrol and diesel cars.”
The report comes on the same day official industry figures showed that all-electric vehicles outsold diesels for the first time in 2022.
AA President Edmund King (pictured) said the government should instead consider lane discipline campaigns to improve traffic flow on highways and thereby reduce fuel consumption
While 16.6 percent of all registered cars were battery-powered models, diesels’ market share fell to just 9.6 percent.
The Environment Audit Committee recommends that the DfT discuss measures to reduce fuel consumption, ‘as stated in the IEA’s ten-point plan’.
They said such a policy would help the UK “improve energy security, reduce oil demand and reduce climate-changing emissions from transport.”
AA president, Edmund King, said drivers are already slowing down in an effort to conserve fuel and battery range with gasoline, diesel and electricity prices higher than normal.
“Ironically, we already have a 100km/h speed limit on some sections of UK motorways due to air quality issues and traffic on other motorways is regularly slowed down due to incidents or false alarms from Stopped Vehicle Detection systems,” he said. to This is Money.
“When fuel or electricity prices are high, many motorists drive below the speed limit to save fuel or electric charge.”
Mr King also points out that many European countries, such as France, already have higher motorway speed limits of 130 km/h (81 mph).
“Perhaps the IEA recommendation was aimed at them,” he adds.
“Measures to improve traffic flow on highways, including lane discipline campaigns and reducing traffic accidents on smart highways, have been shown to have a greater effect than lowering speed limits.”
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