Tempo 30 for retirement homes: safety instead of speeding!

Tempo 30 for retirement homes: safety instead of speeding!

A current issue is causing a stir in Vienna: the Park Residenz Döbling is committed to increasing safety on Hartäckerstrasse. On Wednesday, numerous senior citizens demonstrated together with employees and the district boss Daniel Resch (ÖVP) for the introduction of a 30 limit. Your concern is clear: you want to be able to get to the beautiful park without fear. The demonstrators are not appealing to traffic control systems such as traffic lights or traffic controllers, but are simply demanding a reduction in speed at zebra crossings - a simple but crucial measure.

However, the city of Vienna and the Wiener Linien have so far shown themselves to be opposed to this speed limit. Wiener Linien's argument is that a 30 km/h speed limit would increase bus travel times. However, this view is met with criticism: the participants in the demonstration emphatically emphasize that safety outweighs saving a few seconds of time.

The advantages of 30 km/h zones

But what actually speaks for the nationwide introduction of 30 km/h zones? According to the City of Vienna, all residential areas should become such zones in the future. With the exception of roads with increased traffic importance such as motorways and expressways, there is a lot to be said for reducing speed: studies show that vehicle speed has a significant influence on stopping distances. The stopping distance at 30 km/h is reduced to just 18 meters, while at 50 km/h it increases to an impressive 40 meters.

The benefit for residents should not be underestimated. 30 km/h zones reduce traffic noise, improve air quality and ensure increased traffic safety. According to the information on wien.gv.at, such a regulation could significantly reduce the number of accidents resulting in personal injuries and make cycling in mixed traffic safer. In addition, accessibility for residents remains guaranteed, which also underlines the attractiveness of these zones.

Partial successes in Europe and Austria

Interestingly, a look beyond the borders shows that 30 km/h zones are already established across the board in cities like Paris and Freiburg and have had positive effects. In Freiburg, the regulation was successfully implemented around 2023, and the Spanish government also carried out reforms in the inner-city speed area in 2021, which provide for a gradation of speed limits. Similar advances are also being observed in Germany, where municipalities are increasingly being given more freedom of action in transport planning.

The legal framework is also crucial: the road traffic regulations (StVO) provide the basis for the introduction of such regulations. In June 2024, a reform made this process much easier for cities. A nationwide introduction of 30 km/h could soon become a reality, because not only the WHO is in favor of a global speed limit of 30 km/h in cities, but also local initiatives in several cities are calling for more safety and quality of life for all road users.

Ultimately, it remains to be hoped that the City of Vienna will take the demands and concerns of its citizens seriously and consider speed restrictions in the near future. Because with a little more consideration, the motto “Safety first” could soon apply on Hartäckerstrasse, and of course elsewhere too.

You can find out more about this topic in the articles from meinkreis.at, wien.gv.at and juraforum.de read up.