this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
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Why is there such intense resistance to lowering speed limits in town centers? (hexbear.net)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by insurgentrat@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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The evidence suggests that lowering speed limits to 30 km/h (13.2674 candela per British thermal unit foot-pound for the seppos) massively increases survivability and decreases permanent injury rates in collisions with pedestrians: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002243752400152X

Realistically for most commutes this equates to a couple of minutes extra driving. Most delays are at lights/intersections not low speed limits.

Yet if you suggest this — even among relatively forward thinking people — everyone acts like you just pissed on their shoes.

Why the hell does this happen? Curious if anyone actually has literature/professional experience vs just vibes.

other discussions cause one paper is just an example: https://acrs.org.au/evidence-supports-30km-h-speed-limits-in-school-zones/

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[–] FemboyStalin@hexbear.net 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Its the ability to drive as fast as possible and be seen as "reasonable". The currently high speed limits legitamize higher speeds. Lower would be lower.

Dont over complicate what drives people.

[–] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 14 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Lowering speed limits is also just kinda annoying as a driver because they tend to lower them for a stretch of road that looks exactly like the stretches of road on either side with a higher speed limit.

I'm not advocating for keeping speed limits higher, I'm advocating for redesigning the roads in the residential/town center to not be for 45mph speeds.

My town just widened the sidewalks, put in a ton of raised planters that reduce visibility, and made all crosswalks pedestrian priority with signs. It's actually worked really well because they also diverted through traffic onto one ways on either side of Main Street

[–] FemboyStalin@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

100% agree. Wiggly roads are another great way to slow people down. My city values throughput on our main streets so i doubt we'll ever get a safer city.

[–] insurgentrat@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

wiggly roads also slap and are awesome fun to drive vs struggling to concentrate on straight roads.

[–] piccolo@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I heard somewhere that brick roads make people drive slower because of how they're less smooth. Also they last longer.

[–] AstroStelar@hexbear.net 1 points 2 weeks ago

They're common in residential streets in the Netherlands, but they're much noisier so if a road is still a major thoroughfare it's usually avoided.

[–] DornerStan@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah I'm all for dropping all speed limits across the board, but I'd bet 95% of speed lowerings are spot lowerings with the sole purpose of giving pigs another place to farm tickets and harrass minorities