Japan halves speed limit to 30km/h on all narrow city streets
Speed limit dropped from 60km/h for around 70% of general roads in the hope of making narrow streets of crowded cities safer
TL;DR
- The speed limit on residential roads in Japan has been lowered from 60km/h to 30km/h.
- The new limit applies to narrow urban streets without center lines or specific speed signs.
- This change affects about 870,000km of roads, representing roughly 70% of Japan's general roads.
- The objective is to reduce deaths and injuries among pedestrians, especially children and older people.
- While overall traffic deaths are decreasing, accidents involving children and the elderly on residential roads have remained steady or increased.
- Previous 'zone 30' implementations on limited streets resulted in a 30% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries.
- The mortality rate for pedestrians is significantly lower at speeds at or below 30km/h compared to higher speeds.