Speed cameras can enforce 30 km/h speed limit, Prosecutor concludes after Amsterdam test

Speed cameras can now enforce the speed limit on 30 kilometers per hour roads across the country, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Tuesday after a successful test in Amsterdam to see whether speed camera enforcement was effective at this speed limit. “The OM is expanding the policy for speed cameras to include 30 km/h roads.”

Amsterdam lowered the speed limit on most of its roads from 50 to 30 km/h on December 8, 2023. Despite various measures to ensure that road users comply, many still drove too fast on these roads. In June, the OM and municipality set up an experiment with moveable speed cameras to see whether the threat of speeding tickets would help road users stick to the speed limit.

“The pilot showed that enforcement with speed cameras at 30 km/h can be effective,” the OM said. “The speed cameras helped to reduce the average speed driven and thus the risk of (serious) accidents. The pilot, therefore, provides grounds for making enforcement on 30 km/h roads possible throughout the country.”

Multiple other municipalities have also lowered the speed limits on some of their roads. They can now also apply for speed cameras to enforce 30 km/h speed limits, but they do have to meet the conditions, the OM said.

“When assessing locations for enforcement at 30 km/h, as with all speed cameras, a credible road layout, the risks present (such as pedestrian crossings and intersections), and the use of other measures that influence traffic behavior, such as education and campaigns, are taken into account,” the OM said. “Enforcement remains the final element of the measures to combat speeding.”