Lower Speeds In Europe Result In Fewer Crashes And Less Pollution

Brussels, which incorporated a 30 km/h limit three years ago, reported big cuts in traffic crashes … [+] and pollution.

European Transport Safety Council

In urban areas in several European cities, the recent introduction of a 30 km/h (about 18 -19 mph) speed limit has brought about positive results: a high degree of compliance with speed limits and significantly fewer traffic crashes, particularly serious collisions and those involving pedestrians and cyclists.

Those are the highlights of a new report, “Introduction of 30 km/h as general speed limit in European cities – what effects can be documented?” by the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research’s Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) released earlier this year.

The report summarized experiences from six European cities, as well as Spain, which recently introduced a general speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas, according to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a Brussels-based independent non-profit organization that reported on the study and its findings.

In some European urban areas, the recent introduction of a 30 km/h (about 18 -19 mp/h) speed … [+] limit has brought about positive results.

European Transport Safety Council

In addition to reductions in speed and traffic collisions, and greater adherence to speed limits, cities like Grenoble and Bilbao experienced lower air pollution and Brussels saw a reduction in noise pollution, researchers said, noting that the cities’ actions could help other cities consider the introduction of a general speed limit of 30 km/h.

Since the study’s publication, the Italian city of Bologna reported that road crashes fell 21% just two weeks after implementing its city-wide 30 km/h limit. In Wales, which introduced a 20 mph limit on urban streets in September, data showed speeds have reduced.

In addition to lowering the noise level, Brussels, which incorporated a 30 km/h limit three years ago, reported big cuts in crashes and pollution from a low traffic plan in the city center.

Known as the ‘pentagon’ district, the center of Brussels has seen “a significant transformation” after it implemented a new traffic plan, the ETSC said. The city has experienced a decrease in car traffic and an increase in cyclists, according to an interview with the city’s vice mayor for mobility Bart Dhondt, published in Bruzz, a local newspaper.

Car traffic and reported crashes were reduced by 20 % and cycling was boosted by about 20 %.

Despite concerns that the plan would increase traffic on the city’s inner ring road, the number of cars and travel time remained virtually the same, according to the data

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