Critics say Amsterdam’s 30 km/h speed limit has not made the city safer, De Telegraaf reported on Wednesday 21 October.
The limit took effect on 80% of roads at the end of 2023, and the city needed more than 5,000 new traffic signs for it.
The number of collisions fell in the first year, but in 2025 cars again hit cyclists and pedestrians more often on 30 km/h roads.
Most drivers still go too fast, and there is little sign that their behaviour has changed.
VVD councillor Wout Deterink said there are no consequences for speeding, because there are checks in only a few places and many roads are still built for driving fast.
Denk councillor Suleyman Koyuncu called the measure mostly symbolic politics, arguing that a 30 limit makes sense in the city centre but not in empty industrial areas.
He would rather have spent the money on the city’s worst accident blackspots.
Florrie de Pater of the cyclists’ union Fietsersbond Amsterdam said cyclists and pedestrians may no longer expect cars, and especially mopeds and motorbikes, to be going so fast.
She also sees the rise of e-bikes as one reason for the growing number of road casualties.
If you drive in the city, it’s worth brushing up on how driving in Amsterdam really works.