Positive report on reduced speed limit on Paris ring road

Just one year after the introduction of the reduction of the speed limit from 80 km/h to 70 km/h on the Paris ring road, reports from the City Hall paint a positive picture of the results of this controversial measure. Accidents on the ring road are said to have reduced by 15.5 per cent, from 742 in 2013 to 627 in 2014, while the number of injuries has reduced from 908 in 2013 to 776 in 2014. Ironically, the reduced speed limit has resulted in an increase in the morning average speed from 32.6 km/h in
January 19, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Just one year after the introduction of the reduction of the speed limit from 80 km/h to 70 km/h on the Paris ring road, reports from the City Hall paint a positive picture of the results of this controversial measure.

Accidents on the ring road are said to have reduced by 15.5 per cent, from 742 in 2013 to 627 in 2014, while the number of injuries has reduced from 908 in 2013 to 776 in 2014.

Ironically, the reduced speed limit has resulted in an increase in the morning average speed from 32.6 km/h in 2013 to 38.4 km/h in 2014, while the average speed in the evening has increased from 30.3 km/h in 2013 to 33.9 km/h in 2014. These results are explained by ‘reducing the accordion effect’ and have increased journey time savings by 15 per cent in the morning and five per cent in the evening.

The decrease in the speed limit also reduced noise by 1.2 dBA at night and by 0.5 dBA during the day, which corresponds to decreases in traffic of 25 per cent and 10 per cent.

According to Christophe Najdovski of Europe Ecologie Les Vert, the results should open the debate on testing a speed limit of 50km/h on the ring road.

Related Content

  • Active traffic management - challenges and benefits
    April 12, 2013
    Minnesota DoT has built one of the most intensive Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems on the road today. Like many ITS deployments, the state has gained benefits but also faces many challenges, as Pete Goldin reports. Smart Lanes is the brand name of Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDoT) ATM system on I-35W in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The original system covered 16 miles of I-35W south of Minneapolis starting in 2009, and was extended by two miles in 2011. Additional ATM equipment was inst
    Read More
  • Investments in autonomous driving are accelerating, says report
    January 7, 2015
    Google and various automakers have increased their activity and investments toward the goal of self-driving vehicles, while Google has shifted from its previous strategy to now focus on fully driverless vehicles for the future. If successful, it will have significant implications for the auto industry, according to IHS Automotive, based on findings in its new report, Autonomous Driving: Question is When, Not If, which is an update to a previous report issued early in 2014. OEMs remain geared toward aug
    Read More
  • Drugs and driving: new international study
    January 25, 2012
    The incidence of drugs among drivers injured or killed in road accidents is in the range of 14-17 per cent, according to a new report published by the International Transport Forum, a transport think tank at the OECD. Cannabis and benzodiazepines top the list of drugs involved in lethal motor accidents, according to the study.
    Read More
  • Moscow wins international transport award for tackling traffic gridlock
    May 19, 2016
    The city of Moscow has been awarded the International Transport Forum (ITF) 2016 Transport Achievement Award for its exemplary approach to improving traffic conditions in the Russian capital. Following twenty years of almost uncontrolled development of urban traffic, Moscow introduced a rigorous and comprehensive set of policies to address the gridlock on its streets. These included paid car parking, development of public transport, ticketing, car sharing and taxi reform, development of cycling and envi
    Read More

Highlighted Content