New speed limits come into effect from Tuesday
Tomorrow, Tuesday May 11th, some of the speed limits in Spain change on urban roads, something that was approved by the Council of Ministers on November 10th last year, which has meant a reform in the General Traffic Regulations.
The general speed limits vary depending on the type of road:
- Those that have a single carriageway and pavement, the new limit is 20 kmh;
- On roads with a single lane of traffic in each direction, the new limit is 30 kmh;
- And on roads with two or more lanes of traffic in each direction, the limit will continue to be 50 kmh.
Setting the maximum speed at 30 kmh on roads with a single lane in each direction has not been welcomed well by drivers, according to data collected in the Fesvial Survey of Road Safety and Mobility.
The last two surveys were carried out in March 2020 and February 2021 to evaluate the opinion of drivers on different aspects of road safety and driving, including reducing the speed limit to 30 kmh on some urban roads.
When comparing the results of both, it is evident that as the date of the change gets closer, the level if dissatisfaction has increased, by 9 points, going from 21%, in 2020, to 30.5% in 2021. The degree of agreement has fallen in a similar proportion from 51% in 2020 to 43.2% in 2021, and the percentage of drivers who are indifferent to the measure has remained around 26 % in both cases.
Fesvial considers that reducing the speed limit on this type of road will contribute to between 15% and 30% in the global reduction of accidents, especially those involving more vulnerable users, such as bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds, vehicles of personal mobility and pedestrians.
Over the weekend the DGT have been working hard changing road signs and amending road markings for when the new speed limits come into play as of tomorrow.
The risk of a pedestrian being killed is 9 times lower if run over travelling at 30 kmh than at 50 kmh. In addition, it provides other benefits such as a reduction in traffic noise and pollution, which increases the habitability and sustainability of cities.
Share This Article
