Amsterdam follows Paris, Brussels and Madrid with default 30 km/h limits

Starting on 8 December, Amsterdam will reduce the speed limit on most of its roads to 30 kilometres per hour. The city has been preparing for this change by adjusting road markings and placing approximately 4,400 signs indicating the new speed limit.

The city council says the change will make the streets safer and quieter. With the new speed limit, the city expects a 20-30% reduction in serious crashes.  Additionally, traffic noise is expected to be halved, making the city a more pleasant place to live.

In the coming weeks, extra markings will be added to roads where the speed limit will remain 50km/h. Some roads will also have separate lanes for public transport, which will continue to travel at 50km/h. Lane dividers will be placed to separate these lanes from the 30km/h lanes.

From 8 December, the new speed limit will apply to 80% of Amsterdam’s roads.

30 km/h has been the default in Paris and Brussels since 2021, as well as in Madrid thanks to a new national limit for urban roads in Spain.  Cardiff, the Welsh capital followed last month also due to a new national limit in Wales.