According to TTM’s report, the new, lower speed limit of 30 kph will apply on 270 kilometres of busy city streets in Amsterdam. This effectively means that as much as 80% of the city’s roads will have a 30 kph limit.
The city authorities believe the change will make Amsterdam safer and quieter, and the plan is due to be voted through by the council in January.
The council is of the opinion that many locals in Amsterdam feel unsafe in traffic. It has backed up its view using a survey it conducted, which shows that over two-thirds of Amsterdam residents consider traffic in their neighbourhood to be unsafe. In the same survey, 83% of respondents stated that higher speeds make traffic unsafe.
The city authorities add that there are still too many casualties and injuries. Amsterdam City Council thus hopes that by lowering the speed limit, it can make the city a lot safer and more liveable. It also points to research that finds with a lower maximum speed, the number of accidents decreases by 20% to 30%, while the accidents are also less serious.
Photo: bert knottenbeld / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0