ROME, Jan 16 — The maximum speed limit in Rome’s city centre is now 30 kilometres per hour (km/h), effective Thursday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The new speed limit applies mainly in the historic heart of the Italian capital, as well as on some broader thoroughfares around the city centre.

Previously, the limit covered just under half of the roads in the centre.

The measure aims to reduce traffic accidents and bring the number of road fatalities down to zero.

Transportation department head Eugenio Patanè said that various studies have shown that reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h reduces the danger and severity of accidents. “It is therefore not an ideological decision,” he said.

He added that pedestrian numbers have risen in recent years, likely due to an influx of tourists exploring the city on foot, requiring new approaches to urban mobility.

“We have a duty to reduce the speed difference between the more powerful road users and the more vulnerable ones. This is how we reduce the risk of death,” he said.

A report by the Roma Today portal ranked the Eternal City 17th among the world’s busiest cities. Many areas experience heavy congestion during rush hour, and a study published by the portal found that Romans spent an average of about 76 hours in traffic jams last year.

Bologna became the first major Italian city to introduce a 30 km/h speed limit on urban roads in 2024, with expressways exempted. In the first year of the regulation, not a single pedestrian died on the city’s streets. — Bernama-dpa