Majority of Dutch want highway speed limit raised

The majority of people in the Netherlands want to see the daytime speed limit on motorways increased, research by Statistic Netherlands (CBS) found. The maximum daytime speed limit on Dutch motorways was reduced to 100 km/h in March last year as part of the government’s effort to tackle climate change. Four in ten said they would prefer to keep that current speed limit.

Some 24 percent of those polled said they wanted the daytime limit to be increased to 120 km/h. A speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour was deemed ideal by 15% of respondents.

Additionally, 1.4% percent of those surveyed indicated they were in favor of a speed limit above 130 km/h. Roughly the same percentage prefer to see the speed limits on highways abolished altogether, much like on some stretches of the Autobahn where a maximum speed is recommended.

The vast majority of Dutch people recognize global warming as a major issue, but very few are actually ready to take action against it, another study by CBS revealed. Only about 16% of drivers who would sometimes leave their car parked and walk instead, said they did so for environmental reasons.

About 2 percent of Dutch households seriously intended switching to electric cars.

The study found that in general, residents are not taking steps to reduce their own carbon footprints on a large scale.