Utrecht to lower speed limits to 30 km/h on all streets with no separate bike path

The municipality of Utrecht will reduce the speed limit on many streets from 50 to 30 kilometers per hour in 2026. This applies to all streets without a separate bicycle path, around 150 in total. The municipality hopes to increase road safety with this measure.

According to Utrecht, the maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour already applies to around 70 percent of its streets. With minor interventions, the municipality wants to reduce the maximum speed of another 150 streets to that level as well. New signs and road markings will be installed from February 2026.

Utrecht also wants to reduce the speed in streets that have separate bicycle paths, but that will require more drastic measures. According to the municipality, this involves narrowing the carriageway, different paving, or speed bumps. “On these streets, 30 kilometers per hour will be introduced as soon as maintenance is carried out on the road.”

“Every traffic fatality or serious traffic accident is one too many. By reducing the speed limit from 50 to 30 kilometers per hour, we make the city safer for everyone,” said alderman Lot van Hooijdonk (Mobility).

In Amsterdam, 80 percent of the roads, covering some 270 kilometers, were converted into 30-kilometer roads last year. On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced that it would allow speed camera enforcement on 30 km/h roads nationwide.