Almost the entire Paris area will be subject to a 30 km/h speed limit, to be implemented by the end of the year at the latest

David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris for transport, announced that by early 2022 at the latest, the entire Paris region will be subject to a 30 km/h speed limit, except for some major axes. This was once a campaign promise of Anne Hidalgo and an advocate of environmentalists.

Last fall, the city decided to organize an online survey on this proposal. A total of 5,736 people participated in the public survey between Oct. 27 and Nov. 27. The measure did not receive unanimous approval: "50 percent were in favor and 50 percent were opposed." David Belliard added that "the motorized population and residents of the Hauts de Seine were overrepresented among the participants."

Currently, 60 percent of Paris already has a 30 km/h speed limit (especially the 11th arrondissement), but the city wants to go even further. "This measure will make traffic flow more smoothly by limiting dangerous acceleration (especially on main roads). We will start discussions with the traffic police department in the coming weeks." According to statistics, the average speed in Paris is about 15 km/h.

Unlike other streets, the main arteries, such as rue de Réaumur, which are actually managed by the traffic police, are now subject to a speed limit of 50 km/h. It was therefore necessary to reach an agreement on the goal of "a speed limit of 30 km/h for almost all these axes", and on the ring road, the current speed limit is 70 km/h. "The speed limit on it is under discussion, but it is not affected by this measure." Nevertheless, the city still wants to reduce the speed on the Paris ring road to 50 kilometers per hour.

"The faster the motor vehicle speed, the higher the risk of a serious or fatal accident," said David Belliard.

With this universal speed limit project, the City Hall hopes to improve road safety, "because motor vehicle speed is a significant factor in causing accidents. The faster the motor vehicle speed, the higher the risk of a serious or fatal accident. Trials conducted in other cities have shown a reduction in serious traffic accidents by limiting speeds." David Belliard emphasized that the measure is not intended to restrict automobile traffic.

The measure would also reduce noise disturbances. According to the city, "reducing the speed of traffic in the city by 20 kilometers per hour could reduce neighborhood noise by about 3 decibels." Finally, the initiative would also "release 20 to 50 centimeters of road space, depending on the street layout, which could be used for other purposes, such as wider sidewalks, bike lanes or vegetation."

A number of other cities have also imposed speed limits of 30 km/h in the city. For example, Toulouse, Grenoble, Nantes and some cities in other European countries, as is the case in Madrid, Barcelona or Brussels.

But this proposal also has many opponents.

The most troublesome seem to be the delivery men. Eddie, who ended his day by delivering the last package on Rue Legendre, called the news "very bad news." He said, "It makes no sense, on the main line, it's a waste of time, there's not a lot of traffic right now because of the epidemic." Another deliveryman working for Deliveroo is worried about his job: "We have deadlines, and if we get to a customer's house too late, we don't get paid. In any case, I doubt that this restriction will be observed ......"