The actions of the EU countries in the recommendation of the European Commission to reduce speed limits

The reduction of speed limits in the countries of the European Union has been proposed for a long time by the European Road Safety Council (ETSC). Yes, he is asking formal proposals on appropriate speeds by the European Commission, which in the past also issued an official recommendation for new driving limits on European roads. The recommendation of the European Commission has resulted in several countries taking measures to reduce the maximum permitted limits for different categories of road users.

Last month the newly appointed EU coordinator for the Road Safety, Kristian Schmidt, told a meeting of the European Parliament’s transport committee that the Commission would monitor the impact of the proposal. Three months ago the ETSC sent a letter to the transport ministers of the 27 states to inquire about the development of the issue. The European Road Safety Council, according to the update it published, received a total of 11 responses.

Greece pointed out that the Greek national strategic plan will include the objectives of reducing provincial roads to 80 km/h from the current 90 km/h, with the establishment of a maximum speed of 30 km/h in urban residential areas.

Bulgaria said its new National Road Safety Agency is of the view that maximum road speeds should be reduced, aiming to reduce the maximum speed on motorways from 140 km/h to 130 km/h.

Estonia replied that more political discussions are needed to make decisions.

Latvia said the top speed on the country’s main roads is 110 km/h and Latvia’s first motorway, which is under construction, will have a speed limit of 120 km/h. He also said that in areas near schools, hospitals, etc. the permitted speed limit is 30 km/h.

The Slovenian infrastructure minister indicated that he is carefully studying the possibility of introducing recommended speed limits.

Denmark highlighted the country’s approach to adapting speeds to specific local conditions, stating that the default speed limits are 80 km/h on country roads and 50 km/h on urban roads. But the limits are reduced in many places to 70 km/h and 60 km/h on some country roads, while 30 km/h applies in many residential areas.

Likewise, the Minister of Transport of Luxembourg stated that Mrfully supports the idea of ​​reducing speed on the streets, but will continue to act on a case-by-case basis. He noted that many sections of the provincial network are limited to 70km/h and municipalities are encouraged to reduce urban speeds to 30km/h and where appropriate in some areas to 20km/h.

The Dutch infrastructure minister noted that the country lowered the speed limit on motorways to 100 km/h (between 06:00 and 19:00) in March 2020. The maximum speed on roads outside residential areas is 80 km/h, but access roads outside residential areas are usually set at 60 km/h. In urban areas, about 70% of roads have a maximum speed of 30 km/h, but low-traffic areas, where children often play on the street, have a maximum speed of 15 km/h.

Spain indicated that the country fully supports the principles of the safe driving approach. It said 10,000 kilometers of intercity roads had a lower speed limit of 90 km/h (from 100 km/h) as of the end of January 2019 and that in the first year of implementation, deaths on these roads fell by 10%. The ministry also highlighted Spain’s recent move, in May 2021, to lower the speed limit in the city. Result: deaths on urban roads also fell by 10% in the first eight months of implementation.

Sweden pointed to the adoption of Vision Zero in 1997 and its policy of setting speed limits based on road and vehicle technical standards.

Finally, an official of cGerman Ministry of Transport stated that the federal government does not believe that establishing a general speed limit on motorways is appropriate and that mobility policy must strike a fair balance between respecting citizens’ rights to individual freedom and enforcing the necessary road safety rules. The official also said that “German motorways are among the safest in the world”, although compared to European countries, Germany was only ranked 10th in a ranking compiled by the ETSC in 2015.

The governments ofAustria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia did not respond .

RES-EMP

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