Ministry of Transport, speed limit of 30 km/h in cities: only on some roads and justified January 24, 2024 49

Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport which he led Matteo Salvini defined “not reasonable“The 30 km/h limit for the city of Bologna, introduced by the Bologna Città 30 project.” Subsequently, the minister said that MIT will issue a directive on speed limits in urban centres.

Directive which arrived in a very short time and which now calls into question the project of the city of Bologna.

WHAT DOES THE DIRECTIVE SAY?

Limit 30 km/h in cities it is not prohibited But The directive sets some very specific restrictions. In particular, exemption from the speed limit of 50 km/h will only be possible on “strictly defined roads or sections of roads where special conditions exist that justify the introduction of various restrictions“.

What are these conditions? For example, lack of sidewalks and intended pedestrian movement; abnormal narrowing of road sections; Steep slopes; winding planimetric layouts typical of historical centers and old settlements; frequency of entries and exits of vehicles from factories, institutions, kindergartens, schools, playgrounds, etc.; slippery or curved floors, which are dangerous in different ways.

We can still read in the directive:

It should be understood that any perimeter describing all contiguous speed limit zones must maintain a network of roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h to ensure communication between the extreme points of the said perimeter.

In short, according to the directive, no municipality will be able to enforce a speed limit below 50 km/h. without a specific reason. Derogations from the general 50 km/h limit may only apply to restricted areas “protecting the basic needs of society“. Temporary exceptions are also justified, for example when there is an influx of tourists during high seasonal periods or when coinciding with emergency traffic flows.

The MIT directive also adds that “Widespread implementation of excessively low speeds could lead to traffic disruption and harm from an environmental point of view, as well as the orderly regulation of traffic, creating traffic jams and queues on the roads.”“.

There presumption of greater security caused by lower speed limits is determined to be illusory.

The presumption of greater safety that might arise from lower than usual maximum speed limits is purely illusory. Experience teaches that prohibitions that are not supported by real needs are systematically ignored, which also leads to an uneducational underestimation of all prescriptive signs, and sometimes to the imposition of sanctions that have no real basis.

Author: Filippo Vendrame

Source: HD Motori

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