Speed in Amsterdam to 30 km/h almost everywhere
Speed in Amsterdam to 30 km/h
The 30 km/h speed adaptation will take effect from December 2023. A total of 270 kilometers of busy city streets in Amsterdam will then only allow a maximum speed of 30 km/h. This means that as of December 2023, 80 percent of roads will be 30-road. “This will make traffic safer and quieter. Next year we will prepare for the introduction of the new speed limit. The city council will decide on the plan in January,” said Gemeente Amsterdam.
‘Our neighborhood is unsafe!’
Urban interviews show that 67 percent of Amsterdam residents find traffic in their neighborhood (very) unsafe. And 83 percent feel that speeding creates unsafe traffic. “The number of traffic fatalities is about 20 per year and the number of injured is more than 800. With a lower speed limit, the number of accidents decreases by 20 to 30 percent. Also, the consequences of accidents are then less severe. Figures show that the braking distance decreases by half if you go from a speed of 50 kilometers per hour to 30 kilometers per hour,” reports the municipality.
What exactly is going to happen in Amsterdam?
City of Amsterdam: “We are going to change the speed on 270 kilometers of road. The coming year we will be busy with the preparations. We will make adjustments to traffic lights, signs and lines. The roads that remain 50 kilometers per hour will get extra lines. With a major campaign and attention to speed in schools, we are preparing Amsterdam.”
The council continues: “We are going to warn motorists, of course, but also help them stick to the speed. We are using new techniques to adjust speed. Think of cars that warn you when you are speeding. We are also going to enforce, for example with fixed and mobile speed cameras that rotate through the city.”
City buses are still allowed 50 mph
Because buses and streetcars run on a separate lane, they will soon still be allowed to travel at 50 mph. In some places, the City of Amsterdam is adding separate lanes, but in many streets there is no room for them. “There, too, public transportation will run 30 km/h. We are studying together with GVB and the Transport Region how to limit the impact on public transport.”
The City of Amsterdam has opened a special 30 website for more information and any questions. The map below shows streets shaded in blue. In those streets, Gemeente Amsterdam is lowering the speed to 30 km/h.
Speed reduction in Weesp too!
A speed of 30 km/h is also becoming the norm in Weesp. Adding Weesp to the map is currently being worked on. We did manage to get our hands on an image in the meantime.
