Amsterdam introduces 30 km/h almost everywhere
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.
City center often already closed to cars
Amsterdam wants to give priority to cyclists and pedestrians. Many streets in the city center have also been closed to car traffic and turned into pedestrian and bicycle zones. There are also more and more "fietsstraten", bicycle streets where 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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In this context, Amsterdam's decision to implement an international approach to traffic management by lowering the speed limit to 30 km/h on most roads is a significant development. Additionally, other cities are also adopting similar strategies to reduce traffic-related accidents and pollution, like Paris, which plans to decrease the speed limit on certain roads.
Source: www.ntv.de
