European cities are demonstrating that lower urban speed limits can save lives, prevent serious injuries and create safer, healthier and more liveable streets.
This action is essential to achieving Vision Zero, the EU’s commitment to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050, with an interim target to reduce them by 50% by 2030. By making safer speeds the norm in urban areas, cities can turn this ambition into practical change on their streets.
A recent Eurocities Pulse survey on city speed limits, based on responses from 38 cities in 19 European countries, finds that 75% of cities introducing speed limits of 30 km/h and lower have recorded fewer road deaths and injuries, while 91% report at least one positive result.
However, cities cannot deliver Vision Zero alone. Achieving it will require cooperation across local, national and European levels of government. Cities need the power to set safer speeds, national rules that enable action, and EU funding and guidance to support implementation.
“For some time now, Bologna has been committed to improving the safety and liveability of its streets,” says Michele Campaniello, Deputy Mayor of Bologna and Chair of the Eurocities Task Force on 30km/h. “While there were initial challenges and scepticism, the results are clear: safer roads, calmer traffic and a better urban environment for everyone.
“These measures are making a tangible difference, and cities can learn from each other to accelerate progress towards Vision Zero.”
Local action depends on support from above
Cities can learn from each other to accelerate progress towards Vision Zero
These issues will be discussed at a new Eurocities webinar – Towards 30 km/h as the Default Urban Limit in European Cities – on Wednesday 9 September. Organised with the European Transport Safety Council, the webinar will examine what cities need from the EU and member states to act more effectively.
This support is crucial because cities are best placed to identify where lower speeds are needed and to connect road safety with transport, public space, health and climate policy. Yet their powers vary widely.
Some can introduce lower limits across large areas, while others must justify every change street by street through studies, consultations and extra signage. This raises costs, delays action and creates uncertainty.
The Eurocities Pulse survey reflects these barriers. 45% of cities report political opposition, often from the national level of government; 40% faced legal or regulatory obstacles and 32% lacked sufficient capacity.
Speed reduction cannot therefore be treated as a local responsibility alone. Cities need enabling national frameworks, EU support and sufficient funding to deliver Vision Zero.
National governments must give cities room to act
In many EU member states, 50 km/h remains the urban default, forcing cities to justify lower limits street by street.
The Eurocities Task Force on 30 km/h and the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) are calling for 30 km/h to become the norm where vehicles mix with pedestrians and cyclists, with higher limits allowed only where road design and safety evidence justify them.
Alternatively, national governments should give cities the power to introduce a city-wide 30 km/h default. They must also simplify rules for traffic calming and enforcement, while clearly defining responsibilities between cities, police and other authorities.
Amsterdam’s experience shows the barriers cities face. Thousands of additional signs were required, while enforcement remained uncertain. Bologna has also faced legal and political challenges. By contrast, clearer frameworks in countries such as Spain and Sweden allow cities to act more consistently.
With national support, our Vision Zero efforts can have an even greater impact and we can build an even better city for our inhabitants.
“We can draw inspiration from member states that are supporting their cities in implementing road-safety measures and lay the foundations for such a supportive framework in Hungary,” says Gergely Karácsony, Mayor of Budapest and Vice Chair of the Eurocities Task Force on 30km/h. “With national support, our Vision Zero efforts can have an even greater impact and we can build an even better city for our inhabitants.”
Without enabling national rules, progress towards safer urban streets will remain uneven across Europe.
The EU must turn Vision Zero into practical support
Progress towards the EU’s road-safety targets has stalled, particularly in cities, where pedestrians, cyclists, micromobility users and motor vehicles share limited space. Speed is decisive. Compared with a collision at 30 km/h, a pedestrian’s risk of death is around six times higher at 50 km/h.
Eurocities and the ETSC are making it clear that the EU must help cities and member states turn Vision Zero from an ambition into practical action. European guidance should support 30 km/h as the urban norm or ensure that cities have the power to introduce it themselves.
The European Commission should also define clear criteria for when 50 km/h remains justified, based on street design, function and the protection of vulnerable road users. A consistent European approach would give cities the political backing they need to act at scale.
Cities need direct funding for implementation
Legal powers alone are not enough. Lower speed limits work best when supported by street redesign, enforcement, public communication and attractive alternatives to car travel.
Therefore, as Eurocities and the ETSC explain, cities need direct funding for traffic calming, safer road layouts, enforcement technology, monitoring, public transport and better walking and cycling infrastructure.
“In Budapest, we have been working to reduce road deaths and improve safety for years, despite the adverse political environment,” says Karácsony. “Fatal crashes fell by 37% between 2024 and 2025, which is a promising achievement, but we are still far from achieving our Vision Zero goal of saving an estimated 800 lives.”
We are still far from achieving our Vision Zero goal of saving an estimated 800 lives.
The EU should make funding directly available to cities and support the exchange of data, technical standards and proven approaches across Europe.
Lower speeds support wider city goals
Speed reduction is not only a road-safety measure. It can also support cleaner air, lower noise, healthier lifestyles, sustainable mobility and more attractive public spaces.
Helsinki has recorded noise reductions of between one and two decibels, while Fribourg has measured reductions of up to 4.1 decibels. Safer streets can also encourage walking and cycling and improve access to schools, local businesses and neighbourhood centres.
Cities should be able to integrate speed management into mobility, air-quality, climate and noise plans. This requires cooperation across city departments and support from national and EU policies, rather than fragmented programmes and funding.
Public support grows after implementation
The Eurocities Pulse findings show that public resistance often falls once people experience the benefits. Political opposition dropped from 45% during implementation to 18% afterwards, while public resistance fell from 37% to 21%.
As Campaniello explains: “Once people experience the benefits of safer, calmer streets, support grows quickly and resistance fades.”
Building this support requires early engagement with residents, schools, businesses, transport operators and different road users. Clear communication can address concerns about access, journey times and public transport, while national and EU awareness campaigns can help challenge common misconceptions.
Once people experience the benefits of safer, calmer streets, support grows quickly and resistance fades.
The Pulse survey found no overall negative impact on congestion, traffic volumes or journey times, while effects on public transport were generally limited and manageable.
Cooperation is essential to achieving Vision Zero
Cities are already showing that safer speeds deliver results. Helsinki has recorded a whole year without a single traffic-related fatality in 2025, while Lyon Metropole, Amsterdam, Ghent, Bilbao and Glasgow have all reported significant reductions in collisions or serious injuries. These results demonstrate the power of local leadership and the effectiveness of speed reduction.
Cities must design measures around local needs, engage residents and integrate speed reduction with wider mobility and public-space policies.
Eurocities and the ETSC state that national governments must provide clear powers, simpler procedures and effective enforcement. The EU must also set a common direction, provide direct funding and support the exchange of evidence and successful approaches.
Achieving Vision Zero will depend on every level of government working together to make safer streets possible across Europe.
____
The messages in this article will be discussed at an online Eurocities webinar – Towards 30 km/h as the Default Urban Limit in European Cities – on Wednesday 9 September at 10:00 CET.
Join Eurocities, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), and political leaders for a critical discussion on accelerating the shift towards safer urban mobility. The webinar will present key findings from the Eurocities Pulse on 30 km/h in European Cities and messages from our joint policy statement with the ETSC. Register for the event here.
