Nijmegen will be the next Dutch city to reduce speed limit to 30 km/h in many areas

Half of the streets in Nijmegen will have the maximum speed limit reduced to 30 kilometers per hour from the current 50 kilometers per hour maximum. This was stated in the plan that the city’s mayor and aldermen confirmed on Tuesday before it was forwarded to the full City Council for consideration.

Nijmegen wants to use a maximum speed reduction to stem the increase in severe traffic collisions where people are wounded. The number of people with injuries in Nijmegen traffic incidents doubled in the last four years from an annual total of 62 up to 128.

The city's leaders said the lower speed limit will result in fewer accidents. The political coalition also claimed it will improve the quality of life in the city. The plan also states that there will be more space given to cyclists and pedestrians.

There will also be an increase in the number of trees planted, and the overall amount of green spaces as a way of combating the rising likelihood of extreme heat and flooding. The mayor and aldermen think their plan will also lead to a reduction in shorter car journeys, and will bring down traffic noise.

Situated in Gelderland, Nijmegen is the tenth largest city in the Netherlands with 187,000 residents. The two biggest cities in the country, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, have already implemented speed limit measures in over the past few years.