Skip to main content

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

  • ITE applauds release of NTSB recommendations on speed-related crashes
    August 16, 2017
    The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has applauded the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for the release of recommendations aimed at reducing speed and speeding-related deaths and injuries on US roads. According to the NTSB, more than 112,000 people died in speeding-related crashes in the United States from 2005 to 2014, averaging more than 10,000 deaths annually. This is on par with the number of drink-driving fatalities during the same period, the NTSB reported, yet receives far less
  • Adoption of ITS fuelled by need to tackle traffic issues, says research
    October 19, 2016
    The revenue of the global intelligent transportation systems market stood at US$20.22 billion in 2015 and the market is expected to reach US$57.44 billion by the end of the forecast period, developing at a CAGR of 12.7 per cent during the forecast period, according to research by Transparency Research (TMR). According to the report, Intelligent Transportation System Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016-2024, on the basis of type, advanced transportation managem
  • Two wheels good
    June 25, 2018
    As cycling becomes an increasingly popular method for commuting and recreation, what moves are afoot to keep the growing numbers of cyclists safe on ever-more-busy roads? Alan Dron puts on his helmet and pedals off to look. It would have seemed incredible just a decade ago, but cycling in London has become almost unfeasibly popular. The Transport for London (TfL) June 2017 Strategic Cycling Analysis document noted there were now 670,000 cycle trips a day in the UK capital, an increase of 130% since 2000.
  • Texas moves to prevent wrong-way drivers
    May 30, 2014
    A study has shown the extent and ramifications of wrong way driving and proposed cost-effective countermeasures. Wrong way driving collisions occur relatively infrequently but the results can be devastating. Statistics from the US National Transportation Safety Board, an independent, federal all-modes agency, reveal that wrong way (WW) driving, account for only about 3% of accidents on high-speed divided highways but are much more likely to result in fatal and serious injuries.