Amsterdam has started the speed limit revolution
What seems almost unthinkable in Germany is now a reality in Amsterdam: the city is introducing a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour on most roads and putting up new signs en masse. There are several good reasons for doing this, not just the number of fatalities in accidents.
In Amsterdam, the speed limit is now 30 kilometers per hour on most roads. It is the first city in the Netherlands to reduce the speed limit on such a large scale. The canal metropolis hopes that this will make the city safer and quieter. On Friday night, special teams were to release thousands of previously erected traffic signs.
The speed limit is necessary because of the increasing crowds in the city, said Melanie van der Horst, the alderwoman responsible for traffic. "As a result, there are more and more dangerous situations in traffic." Last year, around 4800 traffic accidents were reported in which an ambulance was called. 15 people died. Not only is the number of inhabitants increasing - currently there are around 800,000 - but more than 20 million tourists come to the Dutch capital every year.
The new speed limit applies to a good 80 percent of the roads. Only on the major thoroughfares is it still permitted to drive at 50 kilometers per hour. An exception also applies to city buses, streetcars and cabs - but only if there is an extra lane for them.
Center often already closed to cars
Amsterdam wants to give priority to cyclists and pedestrians. In the city center, many streets have also been closed to car traffic and turned into pedestrian and bicycle zones. There are also more and more "fietsstraten", bicycle streets on which cars are only guests and cyclists have priority.
Another capital city in Western Europe has also recently decided to slow down. On the Paris ring road, the speed limit will soon be reduced from 70 kilometers per hour to 50. The measure is part of a major climate protection plan presented by the city. The aim of the new speed limit on the 35-kilometre city highway is to drastically reduce the pollution caused by car traffic.
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The new international trend of reducing speed limits to improve safety and environmental impact is being embraced in Amsterdam, as it becomes the first city in the Netherlands to implement a city-wide 30 kilometer per hour speed limit. This decision is in response to the increasing number of traffic accidents and tourist visits, as well as the city's goal to become more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Other Western European cities are also following suit, such as Paris, which is planning to reduce the speed limit on its ring road as part of a climate protection plan.
Source: www.ntv.de
