Amsterdam drops most inner-city speed limits to just 30 km/h from end of 2023

In December 2023, the speed limits placed on 80% of the roads in Amsterdam will be reduced significantly from 50 to 30km per hour.

Several major cities in the Netherlands have rallied against the high number of road fatalities caused each year.  

Currently, there are over 800 accidents that occur on Dutch roads. By reducing speed limits, it’s hoped that the number of road casualties will be reduced and the streets will become a safer place for pedestrians and cyclists, AD reports.

Don’t relax just yet, though! The biggest pests — buses and trams, will still have a maximum speed of 50km per hour. 

Taking action

Former Alderman Egbert de Vries revealed that most road accidents happen on roads where the speed limit is 50km per hour.

READ MORE | Moving mopeds to the road has helped but Amsterdammers still feel unsafe

As a result, Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht sent out an urgent letter to the Dutch cabinet about the hazardous roads.

A year later, action is finally being taken, and we couldn’t be more pleased!

READ MORE | Why driving in the Netherlands is stressful: My experience of living in the Netherlands

The lower speed limits should reduce the braking distance of cars from 27.7 metres to 13.3 metres, limiting the impact of accidents and stopping drivers from using the road like an F1 racing track.

Along with the new speed limit, traffic lights, lines, and signs will be adjusted to sustain the safety of the roads.

What do you think about the new speed limits? Tell us in the comments below.

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Eva Gabriella
Eva Gabriella
After calling Malaysia her home for 19 years, Eva moved to Amsterdam to study literary and cultural analysis. Well, that was the academic theory — in reality it was more like “cultural shock.” Eva’s mastery of life in the Netherlands involved initiation into the richness of nocturnal hangouts, canals, cuisine, and upright and forthright cyclists (who she now rings her bell back at.) When she is not speeding her way through books, she is winding and weaving down endless straatjes, often finding herself, not so quite by chance, in a gezellig music bar!

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