An interactive map of France has been published, showing which towns and areas have imposed 30 km/h speed limits on their roads, and when.
The ‘normal’ speed limit in towns is typically 50 km/h, but increasing numbers of authorities are reducing the limit to 30 km/h, particularly in areas of higher risk (for example where there are more pedestrians and crossings).
There are now 440 towns in France with this speed limit on the majority of their roads, the map shows, on the website Ville30.org. This is 10 times’ more than 10 years ago.
It comes after the ‘loi Notre’ of 2015 gave local and police authorities the option to choose a speed limit other than 50 km/h on all or part of its roads.
The interactive map and website also highlights 30 towns considered to be “pioneers” in the lower limit, namely: Sceaux, Lorient, Clamart, Fontainebleau, Nogent sur Marne, Fontenay aux Roses, Bougival, and Aytré.
The map legend - in various shades of blue - shows the year in which the town switched its limit to 30 km/h. Hovering over each point shows the town or city, the year it switched over, and its population as of 2020 (see the screenshot below).
A view of the towns in France that have switched to 30 km/hMap: Public.tableau.com/
Users can also tick or untick by region, to enable a closer inspection of a particular region or regions. If only one (or a few) regions are ticked, the map zooms into that area for more detail. For example, the image below shows Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and details for Bordeaux (switched in 2020, population of 263,247).
A zoomed-in map of the towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine that have switched to 30 km/h, with a highlight on BordeauxMap: Public.tableau.com/
Safer lower limit
The lower limit is considered to be much safer, particularly on roads that have a high number of pedestrians and cyclists, or which are near a school or pedestrianised zone.
Accidents in towns account for 32% of people killed in road incidents, 45% severely injured, and 59% of those slightly injured in France, found a 2022 study from government climate and urban planning agency Cerema.
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The lower limit also reduces the risk of serious accidents. If a vehicle hits a person at 50 km/h, their chances of survival are 20%. If they are hit at 30 km/h, their chances of survival rise to 90%.
Driving at 30 km/h instead of 50 km/h increases the driver's field of vision by around 30 degrees, and halves the braking distance needed to stop, states Cerema.
Towns can choose to impose the limit across the entire area (making it a ‘Zone 30’) or choose specific roads to place the 30 km/h signs.
Shared road spaces
Arzhel Younsi, of the cycling association Brest à pied et à vélo (Bapav), has said that the limit does not only improve road use for pedestrians and cyclists, and that drivers can also benefit.
“It removes confusion. There are fewer signs,” he said to TF1.
He also highlighted that the limit makes it safer and more pleasant for cyclists. “People who live in these towns want to be able to get around by bike, and this makes it possible too,” he said.
Most of the towns that have reduced limits to 30 km/h have also invested in other transport infrastructure to encourage the sharing of roads, including more cycling lanes and pedestrianisation, as well as other measures to reduce air pollution from traffic.
“Road and urban space is increasingly shared with different modes of transport,” said Laurent Péron, the mayor of Relecq-Kerhuon (Finistère, Brittany), to TF1. “So we have been working with the help of the Métropole to look at the feasibility of reducing the speed limit in the city to 30 km/h, which will generally lead to more safety and peace.”
Another town, Saint-Pol-de-Léon (also in Finistère) has imposed the lower limit since 2023 and fines those who break the limit up to €90, along with a loss of one licence point.
“The noise in the town has been reduced in relation to speed,” said Vincent Guivarc'h, councillor responsible for the living environment and road traffic in Saint-Pol-de-Léon. “All this allows us to have a more peaceful city centre.”
Some cities with a 30 km/h in their centre still have a 50 km/h limit on major peripheral roads. This includes Grenoble, Lille, Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Charleville-Mézières, and Rennes.
The lower speed limit has been controversial, with much division.
Road safety association Prévention routière (PR) has campaigned to roll out the limit nationwide, but many are against the idea. For example, the reduction of the limit in Paris attracted much opposition from driving associations, residents, and shopkeepers, who questioned its reasoning.
