IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i11p4382-d1399519.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Review of City-Wide 30 km/h Speed Limit Benefits in Europe

Author

Listed:
  • George Yannis

    (Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Heroon Polytechniou Str., 15773 Athens, Greece)

  • Eva Michelaraki

    (Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Heroon Polytechniou Str., 15773 Athens, Greece)

Abstract

To date, more and more European cities are systematically working to expand the proportion of their street network with a speed limit of 30 km/h. This paper endeavored to assess the effectiveness of city-wide 30 km/h speed limits in Europe. In an effort to condense research outputs, a quantitative approach along with qualitative assessments were implemented. This study described the changes in safety, environment, energy, traffic, livability, and health before and after the phased implementation of city-wide 30 km/h speed limits. The systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results from 40 different cities across Europe, including Brussels, Paris, and Zurich, indicated that reductions in speed limits improved road safety by decreasing the likelihood of crash risk and the severity of crashes that do occur. On average, the implementation of 30 km/h speed limits in European cities demonstrated a 23%, 37%, and 38% reduction in road crashes, fatalities, and injuries, respectively. Lower speed limits also yielded environmental benefits, with emissions decreasing on average by 18%, noise pollution levels by 2.5 dB, and fuel consumption by 7%, indicating enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Encouraging citizens to embrace walking, cycling and utilizing public transit services can further contribute to a safer and environmentally sustainable urban environment.

Suggested Citation

  • George Yannis & Eva Michelaraki, 2024. "Review of City-Wide 30 km/h Speed Limit Benefits in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-28, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4382-:d:1399519
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4382/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4382/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jiayi Tang & Aonghus McNabola & Bruce Misstear & Francesco Pilla & Md Saniul Alam, 2019. "Assessing the Impact of Vehicle Speed Limits and Fleet Composition on Air Quality Near a School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Nicola Berloco & Stefano Coropulis & Giuseppe Garofalo & Paolo Intini & Vittorio Ranieri, 2023. "Analysis of the Factors Influencing Speed Cushion Effectiveness in the Urban Context: A Case Study Experiment in the City of Bari, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stephen Kome Fondzenyuy & Blair Matthew Turner & Alina Florentina Burlacu & Chris Jurewicz & Davide Shingo Usami & Steffel Ludivin Tezong Feudjio & Luca Persia, 2024. "The Impact of Speed Limit Change on Emissions: A Systematic Review of Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-17, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4382-:d:1399519. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.