National
Spain proposes slower speed limits in order to save energy
By h.b. - Jul 30, 2008 - 7:19 AM
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The Spanish Government has proposed a 20% reduction in speed limits on access roads to large cities across the country as a way of saving energy.
The plan was announced yesterday by the Minister for Industry Miguel Sebastián. Such a measure was already approved by the regional Government in Barcelona last year.
The Minister also announced that public buildings would be kept at 26 degrees in the summer and 17 in the winter and that each home would be given two low-energy light bulbs as a gift.
In fact a total of 31 measures are proposed which will cost 245 million € between now and 2011. These include extending the hours of public transport and the metro, and changing air corridors to make routes more direct.
Sebastián also said that he wanted to see a million hybrid and electric cars in Spain by the year 2014, and that most of such vehicles be constructed here. He said the electric vehicle is the future and will be the motor of the industrial revolution.
However the Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba has said lower speeds on the roads will only be introduced after an ‘agreed study’. The Interior Minister said that driving at 90kms/ hour did save 30% fuel compared to travelling at 120kms/ hour but any lower speed limits could only be introduced after a study was carried out. Rubalcaba also noted that correct tyre pressures could save 4% on fuel bills and claimed that driving with the windows open was 10% more expensive.
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