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30 km/h: Bologna’s new speed limits bring positive changes; lower insurance costs in the UK; Greece consulting on national rollout

  • January 21, 2025

One year since the launch of its Città 30 mobility plan, the Italian city of Bologna has seen road deaths drop by half and no pedestrian deaths for the first time since 1991.  

Crashes have decreased by more than 13% as have injuries, by just over 11%.  Vehicle traffic was reduced by 5% and “pollution most related to urban traffic” went down by almost a third, according to city officials.  Bike and car sharing has also increased over the period, by 69% and 44% respectively while overall bike trips increased by 10%.  

There is now one year of data since Bologna introduced its Città 30 mobility plan, which includes default 30 km/h speed limits. And the results are AMAZING!(Thread)

— ETSC – The European Transport Safety Council (@etsc.eu) 2025-01-17T08:37:49.074Z

The city also said that the Bologna data contrast with the national trend in Italy which showed that crashes increased by 0.9%, injuries by 0.5% and deaths by 7.9% in the last year.  

Meanwhile in the UK, car insurance providers say that insurance claims are going down in areas with 20 mph speed limits, leading to a reduction in the price people are paying for insurance.  The UK nation of Wales introduced a default urban speed limit of 20 mph in September 2023. 

Steve Jukes, chief executive of Confused.com – an insurance comparison website – on why insurance costs fell 16% in the UK last year."In pockets where things like the 20 mph zones have been introduced, some insurers tell us that they are starting to see the effects of that come through in data.

— ETSC – The European Transport Safety Council (@etsc.eu) 2025-01-16T08:35:08.153Z

Earlier this month the Greek government opened a public consultation on its new proposed traffic rules, which include a default 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas, with some exceptions.