VM survey: Speed 20 in the city? More likely no!

This time, 146 readers voted, a number we haven't seen in a long time! Speed limits are a hot topic even in the city, where Frankfurt has now introduced its first 20-kph zones. The aim is to curb speeding on major inner-city thoroughfares and harmonize speeds between cyclists, e-scooters, cars, buses, and trucks. While the 30-kph limit near schools, kindergartens, and hospitals was well-received, a 20-kph limit seems to be too low. Only 23% or 33 voters thought:

”Good idea - this will equalize the speeds of all moving traffic participants and ensure much more safety.”

The large majority, namely 48% or 70 voters, clicked:

“A 30-kph limit near critical areas like schools or nursing homes already helps to improve traffic safety. 48% 70 votes.”

However, 43 votes or 29% of the respondents were strictly against a 20-kph limit. They opted for:

What? No way - even the new 30-kph zones are an imposition!

What does this mean?

In fact, partial speed reductions in the city do help to improve traffic flow and harmonize the various traffic participants. But many find a 20-kph limit to be much too slow – at least there is no strong majority for it in our survey. Instead, a more desirable solution would be the expansion of bike lanes and pedestrian zones – but that would again cost a lot more money than putting up a few signs…