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One million signatures wanted for European Citizens' Initiative “30kmh – making streets liveable!” - Sign the petition today! |
21-12-2012 - The European Commission has officially accepted the European Citizens´ Initiative “30km/h – making the streets liveable!” in November 2012, after a two-month legal check. With the approval the initiators of the initiative have successfully overcome the first hurdle. Now the initiative needs at least one million EU citizens to sign the petition within one year. The proposal: An EU-wide default speed limit of 30km/h in urban areas, unless local authorities set other speed limits for certain sections. Such a scheme is simple, effective and inexpensive. Past experiences with speed limit of 30km/h have shown that the number and severity of accidents as well as noise and exhaust pollution decrease significantly. 30 km/h - A strategy to increase road safety and quality of life Climate Alliance and 40 other organisations support the initiative and call for signing the public petition. “30 kilometres per hour as standard speed limit in urban areas means less noise, more safety, more enjoyable cycling and walking, thus liveable cities”, says Ulrike Janssen, director of Climate Alliance. “Besides the direct impact on the climate due to lower CO2 emissions, 30 kilometres per hour limit provides a few more reasons to live in cities and hence keep distances short.” Joachim Lorenz, President of Climate Alliance and Permanent City Councillor for Health and Environment in Munich, supports the initiative: “The German Association of Cities has recommended considering a default speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas and permitting 50 km/h as exception. In Munich the road traffic authority wanted to implement these recommendations but failed the majority in the city parliament. I regret this decision, as slowing down the urban transport would improve road safety and contribute to climate protection.” In 1987, the European Commission announced a legislative process to introduce EU-wide speed limits. But nothing concrete has happened since, as opponents have claimed that road speed was outside the EU´s remit. “This is no longer true. The positive result of the legal check shows that the EU is the right body to set standards like a 30 kilometers per hour speed limit. This puts an end to a long-lasting stalemate”, says Heike Aghte, spokesperson for the Citizens’ Committee “30km/h – making the streets liveable!” The European Parliament also wants a reduction of the speed limit in urban areas - as a strategy to increase road safety. If the initiative succeeds to have more than one million verified signatures from at least seven EU countries by 13 November 2013, the European Commission must consider the proposal within three months and possibly follow with a legislative proposal. Further information and online collection system:
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