In built-up areas, a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour should be the norm, with possible exceptions for through roads. A majority of the House of Representatives supports a motion by GroenLinks and the SGP, which calls for this. The maximum speed in built-up areas is now 50 kilometers per hour, unless stated otherwise.
The measure should lead to fewer road deaths. Several organizations, including the Institute for Road Safety Research (SWOV), support the plan. SWOV estimates that between 22 and 31 percent of the number of road deaths and injuries can be prevented by the measure. The measure had already been introduced in the cities of Oslo and Helsinki. Not a single pedestrian or cyclist died in traffic there in 2019.
Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure) said earlier that she was against the motion, because municipalities themselves think about this and often do. In built-up areas, 70 percent of the roads already have a limit of 30 kilometers per hour. According to the minister, the motion is therefore not necessary.