Rome looks forward to safer streets with 30 km/h speed limits while Bologna faces legal setback

The City of Rome has officially implemented a 30 km/h speed limit throughout its historic centre.

Simultaneously, the pioneering “Città 30” project in Bologna has encountered a legal obstacle. On January 21, 2026, the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Emilia-Romagna annulled the city’s default 30 km/h speed limit.

The court ruled that such reductions must be justified on a street-by-street basis rather than applied as a general zone. This decision aligns with recent directives from the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which have sought to restrict 30 km/h zones primarily to areas like schools and hospitals.The judicial setback in Bologna is worrying given the initiative’s recorded empirical success. In its first full year of operation, the city recorded a 50% reduction in road deaths and, for the first time since 1991, zero pedestrian deaths. The ETSC continues to advocate for the 30 km/h urban road speed limit standard as a fundamental pillar of Vision Zero.