The Life-Sized City Blog: Slowing Down the Town


We posted earlier about The Lord Mayor’s radical visions for improving Copenhagen’s bike culture and reducing traffic in the Danish capital, among many environmental initiatives.The latest hot off the press is a proposal to reduce the speed limit in central Copenhagen in order to cut the number of traffic accidents.This will also serve to create a safer and more attractive environment in which Copenhageners can feel comfortable while moving about the city.The main proposal in a large Traffic Package soon to be discussed at City Hall is cutting the speed limit to 30 or 40 km/h in large areas of the city centre. In addition there are 30 locations where speed bumps will be implemented, four locations where the roads will be narrowed and four new medians to remind motorists to drive carefully.The speed limit in the city is currently 50 km/h, except for certain boulevards where it is 60 km/h.Some streets and neighbourhoods are earmarked for a speed limit of 30 km/h, while others will feature a limit of 40 km/h.One of the primary goals is reducing the number of traffic deaths and injuries by 40% by 2012.

The proposal matches many initiatives in other countries in Europe. Here's a previous post about European Cities Turning Green.

Via Berlingske Tidende


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