Government reduces speed limits on motorways and highways to promote fuel conservation

ISLAMABAD: The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) announced on Thursday a reduction in speed limits for vehicles on Pakistan’s motorways and national highways, as part of the government’s ongoing austerity and fuel conservation efforts.

According to an official handout issued by the NHMP, the decision was made “in order to promote austerity measures and fuel conservation.” The move follows recent government initiatives aimed at conserving fuel in response to the global fuel crisis, which has been exacerbated by the US-Israel war on Iran.

The NHMP press release stated, “The step was taken in light of the instructions of the prime minister of Pakistan to ensure efficient use of energy and to encourage fuel savings.”

New speed limits for vehicles

Under the revised guidelines, the speed limit for cars and light transport vehicles (LTVs) on motorways has been reduced from 120 kilometres per hour to 100 kilometres per hour. For passenger service vehicles (PSVs) and heavy transport vehicles (HTVs) on motorways, the speed limit has been lowered from 110 km/h to 90 km/h.

On national highways, the speed limit for cars and LTVs has been decreased from 100 km/h to 80 km/h, the NHMP handout added.

Background and context

The reduction in speed limits comes as part of a broader set of austerity measures recently announced by the government. These steps are intended to address the challenges posed by the current global fuel crisis, which officials attribute to the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran.

The NHMP emphasized that these changes are being implemented in accordance with the prime minister’s directives to ensure the efficient use of energy resources and to promote fuel savings across the country’s transportation network.