Why you will soon only be allowed to drive 30 km/h in Amsterdam
The decision has been made. The municipality of Amsterdam is lowering the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h in almost the entire city. You don’t have to step on the brakes immediately, because the measure will not take effect until December 2023.
Then the maximum speed on about 80 percent of the streets in Amsterdam will be increased to 30 km/h. Why? Because the number of dead and injured in road traffic must be reduced.
The people of Amsterdam feel unsafe on the road
According to the municipality, 67 percent of residents feel unsafe on the road. More than 80 percent of them cite the speeding of some road users as the cause.
Every year in Amsterdam there are twenty road deaths and around eight hundred people are injured. It is expected that reducing the speed from 50 km/h to 30 km/h would reduce the number of accidents by 20 to 30 percent.
According to the municipality, the reduction in the maximum speed also makes traffic in the capital calmer. The board also assumes that the measure will discourage the use of the car somewhat.
The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht also want a lower limit
Amsterdam is not the only city where the limit will be lowered. The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht also have plans in this direction. They have asked the cabinet to change national rules to make the reduction easier to implement.
Amsterdam needs time to make adjustments
Why is Amsterdam waiting until December 2023 to adapt? After all, adapting the infrastructure such as traffic signs, traffic lights and lines on the road takes a lot of time and effort.
The municipality is also launching a campaign to prepare residents for the new 30 km/h limit. There will be lessons in schools and also several 30 km/h roads will be opened over the course of 2023 to allow people to get used to it.
Are buses and trams allowed to travel at 50 km/h?
The situation is a bit complicated for buses and trams, because if they drive in a separate lane, they are allowed to drive at 50 km/h. Amsterdam will examine whether further separate jobs can be created. In large parts of the city there is little or no space for this.