On May 11, 2021, the new speed limit of 30 km/h in the city for streets with a single lane in each direction of traffic came into force. A year later, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) have met to analyze the results of this measure that has brought about a change in urban mobility.
In this link I explain everything about the new speed limit of 30 km/h in the city.
38 deaths less in the city
At the moment, only the evolution of the accident rate is compared in the first almost eight months of application of the measure, from May to December 2021. In this period, accidents in the city have been reduced by 14% compared to 2019, the year prior to the pandemic. From May to December 2021, there have been a total of 222 fatal accidents in the cities with the result of 227 fatalities, there are 38 deaths less. These data represent a reduction of deceased vulnerable users by 17% and of people over 64 years of age by 22%.
When analyzing the number of deaths within 24 hours in 2021 (provisional data), the decrease has been 25% compared to 2019, which means 97 fewer deaths.
The most benefited by the reduction in speed have been cyclists, people over 64 years of age and pedestrians, whose percentage of deaths has been reduced by 48%, 40% and 32%, respectively.
“3 years to draw conclusions”
During the act of celebration of this anniversary, the General Director of Traffic, Pere Navarro, has made it clear that “it is very little time to make an assessment,” the manuals stipulate a minimum of 3 years to know if the adopted measure meets the expected objectives, therefore we will be attentive to the data”. He also recalled that this measure was born in response to the demand made by the municipalities and the FEMP and secondly for reasons of road safety -avoiding a single death, already compensates for the measure implemented- “.
Another objective of implementing this new speed limit in the city has been to reduce traffic, noise, pollution and increase the quality of life of citizens.
“The reduction of speed limits on urban roads is probably the most effective legislative change in urban road safety carried out in the last three legislatures”, said Carlos Daniel Casares, general secretary of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).
New urban mobility
The reason why Spain has become the first country with cities at 30 km/h is part of an urban mobility project based on the fact that 20% of the length of city streets supports 80% of the traffic urban. In addition, it takes into account that these routes are those of entry and exit of the city and are linked by distribution nodes between neighborhoods, “which must be armored at 50 km/h to guarantee the necessary circulatory fluidity,” explains the DGT. Outside this network, there is 80% of the length of the streets that only support 20% of the traffic. “These roads are the ones used to leave or arrive at the destination and where the calm of the traffic at 30 km / h enters,” he continues.
The new 30 kilometers per hour on streets with a single lane in each direction also helps to improve the safety of new mobility actors, such as scooter users and the increasing number of cyclists. In this link I explain the phenomenon of scooters and their risks.
Are speed limits enforced?
A report by the Center for Studies and Opinion Ponle Freno-AXA states that drivers generally respect the new urban speed limits. 70.3% affirm that it complies with 30 km/h. The study analyzes more than 7,000 speed measurements in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Seville and Valencia.
According to this analysis, drivers in Barcelona would be the most respectful in zones 30 (80% would comply with the limits), while in Madrid only 46.7% of drivers claim to comply with these limits.
