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Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

nltimes.nl

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Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#51

Post by irdc »

userbinator wrote: post #12

There's probably a huge cultural difference here, but the image there sure does not look like a 30km/h street to me --- more like a 30mph one. That said, I've seen pictures of other European streets, far narrower and meandering, where even 30km/h would seem too fast. It is also launching a campaign with the slogan: “We drive 30 for each other.” Not surprisingly, the socialism is blatantly obvious.

> Not surprisingly, the socialism is blatantly obvious.

Seeing as the social democratic[0] PvdA is currently the largest political party in the Amsterdam city council[1], with the greens a close second, that's all in line with what the people of Amsterdam want.

This is Europe. Socialism isn't a scare word here. If anything, it's a rallying cry.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Amsterdam

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#52

Post by badcppdev »

I think it's really funny how humans can't help but use round numbers.

30 kph = 18.64 mph

20 mph = 32.19 kph

So safety rules around the world are based on arbitrary length systems. I'm all for lower speed limits for safety but I feel there is still things to be worked out in suburban settings where long arterial(?) roads carry large amounts of traffic in large cities.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#53

Post by spiderfarmer »

pastyboy wrote: post #37
thorin wrote: post #19

Wales (UK) did this about a week ago. Setting 20mph as a limit in urban areas. I was there yesterday and now the problem is that it's very unclear where exactly it applies and if it will be enforced. Also satnavs such as Apple and Google maps have not been updated for the new speeds leading to further confusion. There are some areas where this makes sense, but a blanket change seems political. Hopefully it will cause…

Less pollution not so much, everyone will be in 2nd gear, less deaths perhaps.

Maybe indirectly. Driving electric at that speed is pretty comfortable and clean.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#54

Post by MandieD »

matsemann wrote: post #26
anonymousDan wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I moved a short distance in London to an area that is all 20mph and for me the most noticeable change is the reduction in noise levels (the limits in the previous area were generally 30mph). The new area feels so much more peaceful. It surprised me how much difference a 10mph drop makes.

It's also surprising how much safer that little speed change is for pedestrians/cyclists if they were to get hit. https://www.nullvisjonen-agder.no/images/grafikk/dodsrisiko-... Speed in km/h vs death rate. From about 10% death (90% survival) at 30 km/h (~18mph) to about 80% death (only 20% survival!) at 50 km/h (~31 mph)

A 30 km/h car is also a lot less likely than a 50 km/h one to hit a cyclist or pedestrian in the first place - far shorter braking distance, and longer time for the slower mover to spot and avoid them.

Also, as someone who is both a cyclist and a driver, there’s a bit less urgency and frustration to pass a 15-20 km/h bicycle when you’re only allowed to do 30 anyway than when the limit is 50.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#55

Post by okokwhatever »

stinos wrote: post #33
userbinator wrote: post #12

There's probably a huge cultural difference here, but the image there sure does not look like a 30km/h street to me --- more like a 30mph one. That said, I've seen pictures of other European streets, far narrower and meandering, where even 30km/h would seem too fast. It is also launching a campaign with the slogan: “We drive 30 for each other.” Not surprisingly, the socialism is blatantly obvious.

Not surprisingly, the socialism is blatantly obvious. The science as well, the dependency between impact veolocity and severity of injury and risk of survival of pedestrians and cyclists is fairly well studied and known. the image there sure does not look like a 30km/h street to me I've been there (or somewhere in Amsterdam where it looks exactly the same) and at peak hour 50km/h passing by a crowded bicycle path whi…

It´s like mixing pedestrians with heavy construction machines. Wouldn´t be better to separate both of them for the good of everyone? I mean, not everyone has the possibility of walking a couple of streets to buy a cappuccino and then take an elevator to the office. Try having kids in a city today and then let's talk.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#56

Post by lostlogin »

pastyboy wrote: post #37
thorin wrote: post #19

Wales (UK) did this about a week ago. Setting 20mph as a limit in urban areas. I was there yesterday and now the problem is that it's very unclear where exactly it applies and if it will be enforced. Also satnavs such as Apple and Google maps have not been updated for the new speeds leading to further confusion. There are some areas where this makes sense, but a blanket change seems political. Hopefully it will cause…

Less pollution not so much, everyone will be in 2nd gear, less deaths perhaps.

Less braking will help with pollution a fair bit.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#57

Post by bobim »

KBme wrote: post #5

Yes! This will save at least 3 lives a year! Even one life counts!

When it’s your life it makes a world of difference. Public space is shared space, the car lobby has tricked you into believing it’s primarily for cars, but it’s wrong. Free up your mind, drive slowly, be kind.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#58

Post by pjc50 »

matsemann wrote: post #18
jraph wrote: post #9

My city has been limited to 30 km/h for a few years now. As someone who is mostly by bike and by foot, sometimes in public transports and occasionally in a car, that has been a good thing. The city is small and full of traffic lights, and there's a ring road, 50 to 30 km/h inside the city can't be increasing travel time too much for cars. I don't think it was possible to drive at 50 km/h in most of the city anyway. (…

I'm fan of the concept of superblocks. You can drive inside them, but not between them. Want to go from block A to D? Can't drive through B and C. Need to drive out to the ring road, then follow it and into block D. Makes it so that no through traffic at speed goes through the areas where people live and stay.

The mere suggestion of this in Oxford has caused people to go completely mental and invoke all sorts of WEF conspiracy theories. It might work but the public transport alternatives need to be the working default first.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#59

Post by ricardobayes »

matsemann wrote: post #18
jraph wrote: post #9

My city has been limited to 30 km/h for a few years now. As someone who is mostly by bike and by foot, sometimes in public transports and occasionally in a car, that has been a good thing. The city is small and full of traffic lights, and there's a ring road, 50 to 30 km/h inside the city can't be increasing travel time too much for cars. I don't think it was possible to drive at 50 km/h in most of the city anyway. (…

I'm fan of the concept of superblocks. You can drive inside them, but not between them. Want to go from block A to D? Can't drive through B and C. Need to drive out to the ring road, then follow it and into block D. Makes it so that no through traffic at speed goes through the areas where people live and stay.

It will be interesting to see how this all spans out, it can happen in 50 years that downtown areas will be less polluted and more silent than suburbs.

Re: Amsterdam preparing to lower speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour

#60

Post by pjc50 »

eb0la wrote: post #32

I wonder if car manufacturers are working with this limitations in mind. I feel cars with combustion engines suffer at 20-30 km/h but electrics seems to be okay with that. Am I right?

You're in the wrong gear. But yes, electric vehicles have a much more linear supply of torque which is maximum at low speeds.
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