The Dutch government will reduce its national speed limit as part of a package of controversial measures to cut emissions that have sparked mass protests from the country’s farmers.
Mark Rutte, Dutch prime minister, said on Wednesday that his coalition government had taken the “rotten” choice to reduce the speed limit on motorways to 100km per hour during daytime hours — one of the lowest in the EU — and slash nitrogen emissions from livestock to meet national pollution targets.
The speed limit reduction marks a significant climbdown for Mr Rutte’s centre-right VVD party which pioneered a rise to 130km/h in 2012 and has been traditionally known as a party of car-owning voters.
The VVD is known in the Netherlands as the “Vroom Vroom” party. The existing 130km/h maximum will continue to apply from the hours of 7pm to 6am.
