Motorists will have to ease off again!
The town hall of Paris wants to generalize the speed limit to 30 km / h to all the streets of the capital, with the exception of a few major axes.
This campaign promise by Anne Hidalgo and environmentalists could be implemented by the end of the year or else in 2022. This was announced by David Belliard, elected EELV in particular in charge of transport, this Thursday in the Council of Paris.
Last fall, the City decided to organize a digital consultation on this proposal.
5,736 people took part in the public inquiry carried out between October 27 and November 27.
The measure is far from unanimous.
"50% are for and 50% are against", indicates David Belliard, specifying that there is "an over-representation of people with motor vehicles and living in Hauts-de-Seine among the participants".
Limit the device to 50 km / h
Currently, zones 30 already cover 60% of the Parisian territory (this is the case in the 11th arrondissement in particular).
But the City wants to go even further.
“This measure will make traffic more fluid by limiting dangerous accelerations, in particular on major axes.
We are going to start discussions with the police headquarters in the coming weeks, ”continues the deputy, specifying that the average speed in Paris is around 15 km / h.
Unlike other streets, major axes, such as the grand boulevards or the rue de Réaumur, are indeed managed by the police headquarters, and the speed is limited to 50 km / h.
Hence the need to find an agreement so that "almost all of these axes pass at 30 km / h", excluding the ring road, where the speed is currently limited to 70 km / h.
"Reflection on his transformation is progressing but he is not affected by this measure."
The City nevertheless wishes to lower the speed to 50 km / h on the Paris bypass.
"The higher the speed of motor vehicles, the greater the risk of serious or fatal accident," according to David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of transport.
/ LP / Delphine Goldsztejn
With this speed limit generalization project, the town hall hopes to improve road safety "because the speed of motor vehicles is an important factor in the causes of accidents".
“The higher the speed of motorized vehicles, the greater the risk of a serious or fatal accident.
Experiments carried out in other cities show a drop in serious traffic accidents, insists David Belliard.
The objective of this measure is not to limit automobile traffic.
"
"It's pure madness"
The measure should also make it possible to reduce noise pollution.
According to the City, "the reduction of 20 km / h in the speed of circulation on an urban road allows a reduction, of the order of 3 dB in the sound volume around the road".
Finally, this initiative will also make it possible to “free up between 20 and 50 cm of roadway, depending on the configuration of the street.
These spaces thus gained can be used for other uses such as widening sidewalks, a cycle path or revegetation, ”points out the deputy.
Other cities have already generalized 30 zones on their territory.
This is the case of Toulouse, Grenoble or Nantes or, elsewhere in Europe, of Madrid, Barcelona or Brussels.
READ ALSO>
The 30 zones in the city, little respected, are thirty years old
But there are many detractors.
For Pierre Chasseray, general delegate of the 40 Millions d'Automobilistes association, “this decision is sheer madness.
At certain times of the day, the speed may be higher.
And everything also depends on the axes.
The city at 30, that means that we ask people to drive all the time below 30 km / h.
It is untenable.
What is needed are danger zones where it is necessary to lower your speed.
Then this speed will be respected, otherwise it will be trivialized ”.
The City promises for its part "an intensification of controls to enforce the measure".
Parisians divided
Proposal disconnected from the daily life of Parisians, or which fits into the logic of a modern city?
The desire to limit the speed to 30 km / h in the capital divides.
It all depends, above all, from the point of view of which one places oneself and not in which means of transport one is installed.
“I often tell myself, when I go for a walk with my children, that this would be a great idea.
I think the opposite when I'm in the car, ”smiles Vincent.
“To tell the truth, I do not care a little, sweeps another motorist crossed this Thursday evening avenue de Clichy (17th century).
In any case, we can rarely drive at 50. ”The most annoyed seem especially the delivery men.
Eddy, who ends his day with a last package to drop off rue Legendre, welcomes the information as "very bad news": "To say that we drive at 20 km / h on average in Paris, that does not make sense .
It all depends on the places.
Obviously, here, in Batignolles, already in zone 30, it makes sense.
The streets are narrow.
But on the main roads, we will waste time, while we were currently saving time with the drop in traffic caused by the Covid.
Another delivery man who works at Deliveroo and rides a scooter is worried about his job: "We have deadlines to meet.
If we arrive too late at the customer, we are not paid.
In any case, I have doubts about respecting this limitation… ”
In his speech, David Belliard cited several cities as examples, including Nantes (Loire-Atlantique).
And that's exactly where Hervé lives, who came to Paris to visit a friend.
“I think it hasn't changed anything, especially when it comes to caps.
People more or less respect the limit ”, regrets this father of two children, occasional cyclist.
And precisely, “for cyclists, on the other hand, it's better.
It's still more pleasant to be overtaken by cars when they are moving slower.
If that can prevent accidents… ”