Japan increases expressway limit to 120kph

Trials revealed driving at higher speeds had little effect on the number of accidents
By Ben Spencer August 5, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Moving up: Japan reassesses the speed limit on expressways (© Fukamiyoga | Dreamstime.com)

Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) intends to raise the speed limit on some sections of the country's expressway network to 120kph.

Japan Times says the speed limit will be increased from 100kph on sections of expressways that are designed to be safe and have low accident rates. Large trucks will continue driving below 80kph. 

The changes could apply to the Tohoku expressway between the Hanamaki-Minami and Morioka-Minami interchanges, the Joban expressway between the Kashiwa and Mito interchanges and the Shin-Tomei expressway between the Gotenba and Hamamatsu-Inasa junctions.

The public safety commission in each area will approve the speed limit increase following discussions with local police and expressway operators.

The portion of the Shin-Tomei expressway may receive approval this fiscal year. 

New signs will be used to highlight the sections of expressways where the speed limit will be increased to 120kph. 
 

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IP technology the route to efficient multi-agency control rooms
    February 1, 2012
    As IP-based technology makes its presence felt in the control room sector, it makes for greater economies of scale and also offers a migration path for many other traffic management technologies. So says Barco's Guy Van Wijmeersch. Efficient control room collaboration and decision-making is only possible if operators and decision-makers have easy and timely access to information. In many cases, that information also needs to be accessible to multiple users at the same time. This is certainly so in the case
    Read More
  • Technology advances improve enforcement
    July 26, 2012
    Across the board, technology is being brought to bear to improve the efficiency of enforcement. Bus lane monitoring, parking and controlled access have all benefited from systems introduced in recent months. While speed and red light infringements tend to attract the most attention, there remain several other areas of enforcement where automation can bring significant operational and efficiency benefits. Lane monitoring and access control also continue to benefit from technological development.
    Read More
  • USDoT embraces Vision Zero
    January 31, 2022
    'We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths,' says transport sec Pete Buttigieg
    Read More
  • Making the most of Michigan
    January 9, 2018
    Michigan DoT’s Kirk Steudle takes time out from the ITS World Congress in Montreal to talk to Colin Sowman. Thirty years ago, a professional engineer named Kirk Steudle joined Michigan Department of Transportation (MDoT). Today he’s the state transportation director, responsible for more than 16,000km (10,000 miles) of state highways (including 4,000 bridges), some 2,500 employees and a budget of more than $4 billion. We caught up with Steudle during the ITS World Congress in Montreal and asked how he
    Read More

Highlighted Content