Lille is the nearest 30 City to Brussels that we have studied. While Paris has announced that a 30 limit will apply from 2021, Lille has already lowered its speed limit to 30 km/h almost everywhere. It is a first in France for a city of over 500,000 inhabitants.
The aim is to improve road safety and make the city streets quieter to encourage more active modes of transport. On 19 August 2020, the council began dropping the city-centre speed limit from 50 to 30 km/h with the aim of turning 88% of Lille's roads into 30 zones, except for main roads. With only 44% of its roads having a 30 limit back in October 2019, this was a major step and represented rapid progress.
The main benefit
Three years after introducing a traffic plan that sought to relegate cars, the number of cyclists had significantly increased (55% more than in 2016, according to a survey by ADAV and CEREMA). With its new 30 limit, Lille is hoping to accelerate this trend. However, it is too early to assess the impact of this change.
