In the Netherlands, 30km/h will be the norm on all streets in built-up areas. 27 October 2020, a majority in the House of Representatives approved a plan to introduce a standard limit of 30km/h in built-up areas, instead of 50km/h being currently the norm. The objective is to reduce road casualties, specifically in areas with schools and strong concentration of children.

Dutch MP Suzanne Kreger says they have followed the example of Norway and Finland: similar slowdowns have been implemented in Oslo and Helsinki, and no cyclists or pedestrians were killed in the two cities in 2019.

“A pedestrian or cyclist being hit by a car at 50 km/h will lead to a fatality in 20% of cases, this falls to just 3% at 30 km/h; a near seven-fold reduction. This is a major road safety measure that will help the Netherlands protect its cyclists and pedestrians. We think that 30 km/h should be default for urban areas in all Europe and we would congratulate the Netherlands on being at the forefront of introducing road safety measures. The UN Stockholm Declaration this January called on countries to “mandate a maximum road travel speed of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix” and the Netherlands is now showing the way,” said Suzanne Kreger.

This year, the 6th Global Road Safety Week, which Ukraine will join, will be dedicated to the important topic of reducing speed in cities. The events will take place on May 17-23, 2021.