2023-11-14 20:21:00
“Free passage for free citizens!” – under this slogan, a campaign organized in 1974 by the largest automobile club in Germany, ADAC, against the speed limit on the autobahn to 100 km/h was held and successfully ended. The main reason for the proposed restriction was the growing number of fatal accidents – at that time up to 20 thousand people a year died on the streets of the country. According to experts, it was due to too high a speed.
Indeed, numerous studies confirm that the likelihood of being killed in a collision with a vehicle at 30 km/h is significantly lower than at 50 km/h. This is not least why more and more cities in Germany are now actively discussing plans to make 30 km/h the standard on city streets.
The city of Buxtehude is a pioneer of leisurely traffic
The very first experiment to reduce the speed of transport within the city was carried out in Hamburg in 1979 – according to the Dutch model, with the participation of local residents. However, the city of Buxtehude made history, the center of which was officially declared Germany’s first 30 km/h zone on November 14, 1983. There, about 200 large flower bollards made from sections of concrete pipes were installed on the side of the streets as speed limiters, and in front of them were new signs indicating a 30 km/h zone. Drivers had to take their foot off the gas.
“What right do you have to remake intersections so that you can only drive through them with a compass?!” – they were indignant in discussions broadcast even on television. Other opponents of the speed limit argued that concrete flower stands are very dangerous because they restrict visibility. Many felt that the streets were busier than they used to be. However, the city administration did not give up. “To listen to you, it’s still not enough to take off at a speed of 150 km/h, like at an airport. We need to learn to think differently,” said the then project manager Otto Wicht.
Today, on all streets of the city of Buxtehude you can drive at a speed no faster than 30 km/h, and in the city center an experiment is being carried out again: the maximum permitted speed is 20 km/h, and there are plans to reduce it to 10 km/h.
30 km/h speed limit sign near the kindergarten, Monday to Friday from 6 am to 5 pm Photo: Christin Klose/dpa/picture alliance
Why do you need to drive so slowly?
Since 1990, traffic calm zones have been introduced in all German cities. At the moment there are most of them in Berlin and Munich. By data Institute of Regional Geography named after. Leibniz as of March 2023, a speed limit of 30 km/h applies to 60 percent of the capital’s entire road network. In Munich – about 80 percent. Next come the cities of Reutlingen and Essen, where the share of speed limits of 30 km/h on the entire urban road network is 56 – 58 percent. The fewest sections with a speed limit of up to 30 km/h are found in the center of Germany – in the interval between the cities of Dresden and Mönchengladbach.
Fines for speeding in the 30 km/h zone are as follows: up to 10 km/h – 30 euros, from 21 to 25 km/h – 115 euros and one point in the nationwide database of traffic violations in Flensburg.
Today, in accordance with German law, as a rule, in populated areas the maximum permitted speed is 50 km/h. There must be compelling reasons for creating lower speed zones – such as, for example, on dangerous sections of roads, near schools, kindergartens and playgrounds, to protect citizens from noise or harmful fumes. Recently, more and more communities across the country are joining the Livable Cities through Speed initiative. Members are demanding more leeway from municipalities when it comes to 30 km/h zones.
In October this year, the Bundestag approved a number of amendments to the Road Traffic Act. While the reform does not include a universal urban speed limit of 30 km/h, local authorities with environmental, public health or urban development arguments will soon find it easier to introduce changes.
In the centers of large German cities you can often drive no faster than 30 km/h Photo: Jochen Tack/picture alliance
Pros and cons of driving slowly
There has been debate for many years about which speed is preferable in German cities – 50 or 30 km/h. The German Automobile Club ADAC conducted a nationally representative survey on this topic in the fall of 2022. A survey of 2,000 people revealed that two-thirds of those surveyed want to maintain the current rules – in particular, the speed limit of 50 km/h within the city. Five percent were undecided or did not provide any information. Answers varied depending on what mode of transport respondents primarily used. Thus, 77 percent of car drivers and only 56 percent of cyclists were in favor of the current speed limit of 50 km/h. 41 percent of cyclists and only 19 percent of car drivers were in favor of a speed limit of 30 km/h.
In a comment to ADAC research It is also noted that braking distances at 30 km/h are actually shorter than at 50 km/h, and therefore, in the event of an accident, the risk of something bad happening is lower. However, according to ADAC expert Ronald Winkler, significant improvements in safety on 30 km/h roads will not be achieved because “accident hot spots in urban areas are usually at intersections where turning speeds are already quite high.” low and plays only a minor role in the accident.” According to the expert, a higher level of traffic safety in cities can be achieved, first of all, by improving visibility and having less conflicting phases of traffic lights.
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