The final draft of the new traffic regulation was released yesterday by the traffic police (DGT) and is expected to be approved by the council of ministers shortly, with the changes coming into effect by the spring.
All secondary and urban roads will see a large drop in the speed limit:
- roads currently at 100kph will drop to 90kph
- 90kph roads will drop to 70kph OR 50kph
- unpaved or single carriage roads will have a maximum of 30kph
Motorways will continue to have a general maximum speed of 120kph, although in certain clearly signposted areas the maximum speed will be upped to 130 kph.
Currently, a complicated system of measuring the hard shoulder to judge the maximum speed limit exists. All this will be swept away for a new clearer system:
- If the road is at least 6,5m wide and rural, the maximum speed limit will be 90kph (unless indicated otherwise)
- If under 6,5m wide, rural and both carriageways are clearly marked out, the maximum speed limit will be 70kph or less.
- If under 6,5m wide, rural and both carriageways are NOT clearly marked out, the maximum speed limit will be 50kph or less.
- If there is only one carriageway or the road is not paved, the maximum speed will be 30kph.
- Urban single carriageway roads will have a maximum speed of just 20kph, and other urban roads will have a maximum of 50kph, although this is at the discretion of the townhall or local authority.
Are these roads going to have signs to show the speed limit, or do drivers now have to carry a tape measure to check the width of the road…??
It’s easier under the new law than under the current system, where you have to work out the width of the hard shoulder, taking into account crash barriers or nearby trees!