Highways England has remained tight lipped amid rumours that it plans to introduce a 60mph speed limit on the M1.

It was reported last week that the agency was considering the amended speed limit to improve air quality in the Sheffield area, but Highways England said it couldn’t confirm whether this was the case.

However a spokeswoman for Highways England told Motortransport.co.uk it had been looking at air quality solutions on the road as part of its upgrade to a smart motorway between junctions 28-35.

She said that while Highways England hadn’t confirmed what the solution is, it is scheduled to be in place when the motorway project is completed in March.

Malcolm Bingham head of road network management policy at the FTA, said that if the speed limit was introduced it could be a welcome development for road haulage.

He told Motortransport.co.uk: “If the target is achieved and smooths out speeds, making the roads more reliable it’s welcome. We’ll plan our journeys on whatever speed we’ve got, but it’s when journeys become unreliable that the costs ramp up.”

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