A reduced speed limit is set to stay on a Greater Manchester motorway until the middle of next year.
The speed limit M602, which connects Manchester city centre to the M60 and M62 through Salford, has been reduced to 60mph since September 2020. The reduction was brought in to ‘tackle air quality’, National Highways said at the time.
Now, a spokesperson for the agency has confirmed that the scheme will stay in place until the summer of 2024.
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“The order covering the regulations has just been renewed for another 18 months,” a spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News. “The signs will also remain in place.”
On announcing the plan, which was one of four stretches of motorway in England to see a lower speed limit, transport chiefs said the scheme was implemented ‘where action needs to be taken’. Ivan Le Fevre, head of environment at National Highways, said: "We have a duty to tackle air quality around our network and as part of this we are trialling 60mph speed limits on short sections of our network where action needs to be taken.
"Ultimately the air quality challenge will be solved 'at the tailpipe' by vehicle manufacturers and changes in vehicle use. Until this happens we will continue our extensive programme of pioneering research and solutions. The speed limits trial will stay in place until the shift to cleaner vehicles means we can remove the restrictions and maintain cleaner air."
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