The City of Helsinki Urban Environment Division proposes decreasing speed limits near upper and lower secondary schools. The speed limit would be lowered by 10 km/h near 60 schools on streets where the current speed limit is 40 or 50 km/h.
The Urban Environment Committee will discuss the proposal in its meeting on Tuesday 20 May.
According to the proposal, changes to the speed limits would be made in a total of about 50 streets to improve traffic safety. The speed limit is to be lowered in the immediate vicinity of the school on a short street section. Otherwise, the street speed limit will remain as it is.
The new speed limits will affect travel times for cars only marginally.
‘On a typical street near a school, this would mean changing the speed limit from 40 to 30 km/h, and the change would affect a stretch of a few hundred metres. This would make drivers more attentive in the right place. A traffic sign warning about children will also be used in connection with the speed limit sign,’ says Traffic and Street Planning Manager Reetta Putkonen.
Speed limits for school streets to be harmonised
Helsinki already uses lower than usual speed limits on streets near some schools. The new change would therefore harmonise the limits near schools throuhgout the city.
The lower speeds are expected to prevent accidents and improve children’s sense of safety. This also supports children in moving about independently.
Changes to speed limits are planned for streets located near a school and places with pedestrian crossings which are significant for going to school. Such streets include Näyttelijäntie in Haaga, Mechelininkatu in Töölö, and Suutarilantie in Suutarila.
If the Urban Environment Committee accepts the proposal, some of the speed limit changes could be implemented already during the coming summer. The rest of the changes are to be made later, because other solutions improving safety are also being planned for some of the streets.
Aiming to cut the number of injuries in traffic by half
The proposal regarding the streets near schools is founded on the Helsinki traffic safety development programme 2022–2026. One of the most important goals of the programme is to improve traffic safety for children and young people.
The new speed limits planned near schools have a positive impact on the safety of children and young people in particular. They also address concerns regarding the safety of school routes voiced by residents.
The City aims to cut the number of people who are injured or killed in traffic by half during the 2020s. At the moment, the police in Helsinki is informed of an average of over 20 accidents every year where a pedestrian or cyclist under the age of 18 is injured.