Together with resident parking, 30 km/h zones are gradually being introduced in Brno streets, marked with horizontal speed limit signs on street surfaces.
“We decided to introduce 30 km/h zones across the city, in connection with the expansion of resident parking,” said the mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková. “During its preparation, we are carrying out a complete revision of road markings and proposing improvements in the form of greater visibility ratios at intersections, pedestrian crossings and crossing points.”
She added that the measure is designed to ensure traffic safety. 30 km/h zones are marked at the entrances and exits with vertical road signs, but the horizontal road markings are being added for extra emphasis.
There are now 366 km of Brno roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h (or even 20 km/h), more than double the 168 km in 2015, and the increase is mainly explained by the expansion of residential parking. There are no plans, however, to extend this measure to main transit roads or roads where public transport runs.
Students of the Brno University of Technology monitored the impact on safety that these measures will bring. A diploma thesis, in which the author compared accidents before and after the introduction of 30 zones, showed that by reducing the speed of cars, the number of collisions with pedestrians decreased by approximately 63%, and collisions with parked vehicles were 29% less. The number of lightly injured pedestrians was 27% lower, and the number of seriously injured 22% lower.
The OECD furthermore estimates that 30 zones reduce serious injuries by up to 70%.
“The data clearly shows us that zones with a reduced speed of vehicles to a maximum of 30 km per hour have a positive effect on safety,” added Petr Kratochvíl, city councillor for transport. “We would like to emphasise this measure even more so that it cannot be overlooked by drivers. That’s why we are starting with the implementation of horizontal traffic markings in all already established speed limit zones, starting with the intersection of Rybářská and Poříčí on Tuesday, 4 June.”
The installation of horizontal markings is the responsibility of the municipal company Brno Communications. The cost is estimated at CZK 3 million.
