50mph limit for rural roads

The speed limit on single carriageway rural roads is to be cut from 60mph to 50mph under government plans announced yesterday.

The lower limit is to be enforced by a new generation of average-speed cameras capable of catching motorcycles. It could be imposed by next year.

Roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the move was needed to cut the death rate on rural roads, where seven out of 10 car crash fatalities occurred in 2007.

The 50mph limit will be proposed in a consultation to be published this summer.