Why bike lanes alone won’t get everyone cycling. 30km/h speed limits as an enabler for more active transport

The most important part of a bike plan is a car plan, according to the Dutch Cycling Embassy. “If we are to see mass cycling, we need to tame the car in our cities. We must reduce the speed, volume and access of private motor vehicles on our streets.”

The Founder of 30Please.org and Safe Streets to School, Lena Huda, will outline strategies and actions to gain community understanding and acceptance of the importance of lower speed limits in urban areas. Lena will explore examples for partnerships, media and social media strategy.

To create a connected, intuitive, and safe cycling network, global best practice is to apply 30kmh speed limits where cars mix with people riding and walking, and only allow for higher speed limits where there is good separation of cars and active transport.

In cities like Munich, 80% of streets have 30kmh speed limits and no separated cycle lanes and the remaining 20% of the network have dedicated cycling infrastructure.