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Helsinki records zero traffic deaths for full year

(www.helsinkitimes.fi)
1163 points DaveZale | 1 comments | 30 Jul 25 16:08 UTC | HN request time: 0.23s | source
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efitz ◴[03 Aug 25 07:01 UTC] No.44774685[source]▶
> More than half of Helsinki’s streets now have speed limits of 30 km/h. Fifty years ago, the majority were limited to 50 km/h

For us metric-impaired, 30 km/h ~ 19 mph.

In the United States, school zones with children present are generally 15-25mph. fit adult humans run at 8-9 mph.

If it works for Finns and they like it, great. Americans would not accept speed limits so low.

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1. kolinko ◴[03 Aug 25 08:54 UTC] No.44775158[source]▶
It’s more about the road width/construction than posted speed limit.

If you have a road wide enough to drive 50 and try to post a speed limit of 30 drivers in all countries will complain.

If you design a road so that driving above speed limit doesn’t feel safe, drivers will naturally stick to it.

I can see it in city center Warsaw - we keep narrowing internal roads and the traffic naturally adjusts to that, whereas if a road is wider/longer/straighter people will drive faster regardless of the speed limit.