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speed limit

French town discovers that the best way to keep people safe on its roads is by, ironically, raising the speed limit…

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The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) is currently working on a proposal to reduce the speed limit around Klang Valley.

The proposal – will be presented to DBKL next month – is to reduce the current speed limit of 50km/h to just 30km/h in certain areas.

The matter was confirmed by Deputy Federal Territory Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.

“Data collection and analysis will be carried out, and if it is agreed, it will be implemented in September this year.

“The areas involved in this MIROS study are areas with speed limits of 60 km/h and 40 km/h.

“Meanwhile, roads that have been gazetted with 70 km/h and 80 km/h speed limits are not included in the study,” he told the Dewan Negara on Monday, responding to a question from Senator Datuk Mohd Hisamudin Yamaha.

According to Jalaluddin, DBKL also shared the same view that reducing the speed limit would also improve other road users’ safety, including cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposal is currently in line with other major cities such as Paris, which implemented the speed limit back in August 2021.

Although the move is seen as beneficial to road users, it might have different implications for motorcyclists who are in and out of the city centre daily.

Trying to keep the speed at just 30km/h will be a struggle, especially when riding between other vehicles. 

It has been a remarkable year for the city of London, as motorcycle death drops by 60 per cent in provisional figures as announced during the Transport for London motorcycle and road safety meeting.

While the meeting was attended by a number of prominent motorcycle organisations including BMF (British Motorcyclists Federation), MAG (Motorcycle Action Group), Keith Prince (GLA, MAG member & Assembly Member), Dave Bottomley (MET Sergeant & BikeSafe) and TfL officials, but as it turns out, nobody is sure what is the primary factor behind the significant drop in accidents.

“I’m impressed with the dramatic fall in motorcycle deaths in London last year.

“The officers committed to working with the London riding community to further understand the reasons for this welcome improvement, plus engaging with the delivery rider sector on safety issues, and treating all two-wheeler users fairly and without discrimination.

“Overall, this meeting was results-orientated in a very tangible way,” said Keith Prince, Deputy Chair of the GLA Transport Committee.

While the primary factor behind the low numbers is still widely discussed, perhaps among other reasons is the 30km/h speed limit in the city centre that helps lower motorcycle fatalities.

The second possibilities are the lower traffic counts in the past two years as more Londoners have been working from home due to the ongoing pandemic.

Meanwhile, the number of motorcycle fatalities is expected to decrease in 2022 as a new speed limit of 15mph (25km/h) is implemented across London, as announced last year.

(Source: VisorDown)

Thousands of motorcyclists took to the streets to protest against riding bans and (motorcycle only) speed limits in Germany.

The protest took place in Nuremberg, Leipzig, Munich, Oldenburg and Cologne, also in Stuttgart.

Despite the large turnout, reports suggest that the protest was held according to the social distancing rules.

The demonstration was an effort to protest against the local council’s decision to slap a (motorcycle only) 50km/h speed limit on the B500 (one of the best riding roads in Europe).

Motorcycles were banned entirely from some roads, such as the L687 between Rönkhausen and Wildewiese, considered another scenic route among bikers.

According to reports, another protest set to take place in August.

(Source: Visordown)

Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has announced a 30km/h speed limit in the French capital with motorcycles and scooters have to pay for parking starting next year.

The speed limit will take place on all of Paris city streets by August this year; however, the ring road will maintain its 50km/h rule.

According to Hidalgo, the new rule is part of the city initiative to transform Paris into an environmentally friendly city and turning it into a pedestrian haven.

Furthermore, the city will start charging parking fees for every motorcycle and scooter and cut the current 140,000 street parking to just 60,000 to make more space for pedestrians.

Based on reports, Paris wants its people to use bicycles or public transport including walking to get around the city centre.

(Source: Bangkok Post)

  • Environmental groups called for speed limits throughout the German autobahn network.

  • They were concerned that speeding vehicles produce more emissions.

  • But the country’s lawmakers shot down the idea.

The German autobahn has a certain sense of fascination attached to it, since it’s probably the last stretch of road in the world where speed is not limited.

It’s also a symbol of pride and identity of a nation well-known for cutting edge engineering and technology. It’s somewhat like saying “our vehicles can go fast, but they are safe, too.” In fact, that’s exactly what country’s Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer boasted that German highways are the safest in the world.

So, when a group called National Platform of Future Mobility recommended that speeds are culled to a 130 km/h limit, lawmakers responded with a resounding “Nein! (“No” in German)” Of the 631 votes cast in the Bundestag (parliament), 498 were against.

Interestingly, the proposal was not not made from the point of the dangers of speeding. Instead, it was due to environmental concerns that speeding vehicles consume more fuel, thereby releasing more noxious emissions compared to those cruising at “middle” speeds.

The minister’s response may seem off the mark but he countered that there are better solutions than to impose speed limits.

Truth is, the vision of blatting WFO (wide, full, open throttle) down the entire 12,993 km network around Germany is a myth. While it’s true that only 30 percent have a speed limit of 130 km/h, the rest are “limited” by what’s called “speed at your discretion.” Besides that, the limit-free zones are outside urban areas and clearly marked.

According to a finding posted on Visordown.com, the infamously unrestricted nature of the speed-limit-free Isle of Man could be in violation of human rights. The site recently spoke with John Needham, a coroner working on the Isle of Man, who pointed out the possible infraction.  (more…)

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