“We know very well that it will not be very popular”, smiles Valérie Faucheux, assistant delegate for mobility and travel. From September 4, motorists will have to slow down since the whole city will go into zone 30 with the exception of a few structuring roads such as penetrating roads or large boulevards which will remain limited to 50 km/h.
“We reverse the values so that the speed limit of 30 km / h becomes the norm in the agglomeration and the limit of 50 the exception”, indicates the elected ecologist. Adopted Monday evening at the city council, the measure was already in force on 75% of the city’s traffic lanes. In less than four months, this rate will therefore increase to 94%. “This will bring more visibility because we realized that a large part of motorists did not know that the streets were limited to 30 km / h despite the markings on the ground and the signage, continues Valérie Faucheux. Many residents have also reported speeding tickets to us in their neighborhoods. »
Limited waste of time
Already generalized in several large cities (Lille, Nantes, Montpellier, etc.) but not always respected, the 30 km/h speed limit is of course intended to reinforce road safety and cohabitation between all users. According to the Road Prevention association, a pedestrian has a “95% chance of survival in the event of a shock at 30 km/h, 53% at 50 km/h and only 20% at 60 km/h. It also participates, according to the city, in “improving the quality of life” by reducing polluting gas emissions and noise pollution.
For their part, motorists will retort that this will waste their time. Not false but the impact will be limited according to Valérie Faucheux. “It’s a loss of less than two minutes on a half-hour trip,” she says.