Since 1 January 2016, the city of Grenoble and 14 surrounding communes rolled out a general speed limit of 30 km/h in built-up areas, with 50 km/h becoming an exception. Today, 45 of the 49 urban and rural communes in Grenoble's metropolitan area have introduced the 30 km/h limit.
The move is part of its wider métropole apaisée or “calmer city” scheme, which aims to more fairly distribute public space among the different users and modes of transport. At the same time, Grenoble is investing in a new flagship cycling network, the Chronovelo, a 44-km-long, 4-m-wide bike route.
The main benefits
The policy's results have been analysed by consultants CEREMA , whose findings were as follows.
• There was a noticeable drop in speeds.
• There was a fall in the number and severity of accidents, with pedestrians in particular spared from accidents.
• 61% of pedestrians and 70% of cyclists were in favour of the new rules.
• The main reason for residents supporting the new rules was safer roads (65% of pedestrians and 78% of cyclists).
• Motorised traffic in the city fell significantly between 2016 and 2018 (9% fewer light vehicles and 20% fewer heavy vehicles).
