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Massive restrictions on city roads drop to 30 km / h
Many European countries and regions have introduced measures to reduce road speeds over the past year, Bloomberg reported.
In 2020, for example, Spain reduced speed on all two-lane urban roads to 30 km / h from the current 50 km / h. The new policy will affect 80% of the streets of Madrid.
The Dutch follow the Spanish, passing a 30 km / h limit in all settlements. The French capital, Paris, which drives at 30 km / h in 60% of its territory, is holding a public debate on whether the restriction should be introduced for the entire city.
As of 2021 in Brussels there is a general speed limit for motor vehicles of 30 km / h. In the main streets and boulevards the possibility of circulating at 50, 70 or 90 km / h is preserved, depending on the road markings. The new rule states that speed signs will be posted only where traffic above 30 km / h is allowed, authorities said. They added that the speed limit in crowded places would be 20 km / h.
But it’s not just on city roads that cars slow down. In September 2020, the UK launched a pilot project on 3 main motorways, reducing the maximum speed of some sections from 110 km / h to just over 90, in an attempt to possibly lower limits across the country. The Netherlands has gone even further, introducing a 100 km / h speed limit on motorways in March 2020.
However, the measures have not been met with universal approval. In Spain, drivers’ advocates suggest that
the new rules
they can
do
the ways
less
safe,
as they will require a lower speed for cars even when overtaking. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte even called his own government’s move to reduce pressure on the roads a “rotten step”.
Several factors, such as safety and environmental impact, have so far highlighted the desire for a massive slowdown, but the coronavirus crisis is perhaps the most powerful catalyst. Many cities in Europe are already focusing on driving and using roads more carefully because the proportion of urban car trips has increased as people abandon public transport for fear of infection. The total number of trips of all kinds may have dropped dramatically, for example in Barcelona, but the share of car trips in some places has doubled from 27% to 52%.
The increase in mortality due to disasters is a problem that increasingly worries countries like Spain. Between 2018 and 2019
deceased
in the streets of
the Spanish
the cities are up
increased 6%
Reducing speed from 50 to 30 km / h is expected to reduce the risk of someone being killed in a collision with a car by 5 times. In some places, the new Spanish law will be even stricter, imposing a limit of 20 km / h on streets that do not have a clear line between the road and the sidewalk.
The need to reduce pollution is also cited as the main reason for reducing the speed limit on freeways. In England, around 60% of the population now live in areas with dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide.
Nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands are four times higher than the EU average, forcing the country’s courts to force the government to act. These levels can drop significantly if cars move more slowly, experts say. A study of roads in Wales found that a drop in speed from 110 km / h to 80 reduced pollution by as much as 47%.
Fuel consumption can also be improved even with small reductions. The European Environment Agency has found that if the speed limit for the motorway remains at 120 km / h at 110,
can be
reduce costs
in fuel with
between 12 and 18%
Fuel economy was one of the main reasons for tightening road restrictions in the 1970s, when the oil crisis of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led to mandatory national speed caps in the United Kingdom, United States and Europe. But fast driving has become “in” and drivers become even riskier as congestion eases during the COVID-19 crisis, putting them on the pedal.
The current speed limits will also help ease the burden on healthcare systems, as hospitalizations are increasing at alarming levels due to the virus.
There is also an established link between automobile air pollution and higher mortality than COVID-19. According to a study by the European Society of Cardiology, poor air quality increases the risk of death from coronavirus by up to 15%.
The mayor of Heidelberg wants a city without cars
German Mayor Eckart Wurtzner wants his city of Heidelberg to be clean of polluting cars, the New York Times reported. The southern German town government gives residents who buy electric cars a bonus of up to 1,000 euros. They also receive another 1,000 euros if they install their own charging station.
However, Elcol is low on the list of tools Würzner uses to try to reduce Heidelberg’s impact on climate. The mayor, who has a reputation for being a pioneer in environmental urban planning, is already buying hydrogen-powered buses. It is also building a network of “superhighways” cycling into the suburbs and designing neighborhoods to discourage everyone from using vehicles and to encourage walking.
“If you need a car, use a carpool. If you live too far away and there is no public transport, use a car, but only to the train station and not to the center,” says Würzner.
Dozens of cities in Europe, including Rome, London and Paris, also plan to limit central urban traffic to zero-emission vehicles over the next decade. Some cities, like Stockholm and Stuttgart, are already banning older diesel cars.
“Rechargeable cars don’t pollute the air, but they take up as much space as gasoline models,” says Würzner. He complains that Heidelberg still suffers from traffic jams during peak hours, although only about 20% of residents travel by car. The rest walk, bike, or take the electric buses that run through the narrow cobbled streets of the old town.
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