In recent years, efforts to improve road safety have prompted European cities like Paris, Milan and Amsterdam to cap speeds on most streets to just 30 kilometers per hour, or under 20 miles an hour. But success has been undercut by backlash from drivers who see the new rules as examples of government overreach and from conservative lawmakers who’ve made enforcement a challenge.

In a new perspective piece, contributor Carlo Ratti, who directs MIT’s Senseable City Lab, explains how his new research points to a less controversial and more effective way to get people to slow down. Studies from his lab found that speed limits often have little effect on how fast people drive: Drivers slowed only 2–3 km/h when limits dropped from 50 to 30 km/h. Street designs that discourage fast driving, by contrast — think narrow roads — are better at setting the pace. Today on CityLab: There’s a Better Way to Win on Traffic Safety

— Linda Poon

More on CityLab

Affordable Housing Left Vulnerable After Trump Fires Building Inspectors
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development cut its inspection team two weeks after a public housing building partially collapsed in the Bronx.

A Showdown Over Speed and Safety, Italian-Style
In 2024, Bologna became the first major city in Italy to set a 30 kilometer per hour speed limit. But ‘Città 30’ also triggered a fight with conservative lawmakers. 

California Redistricting Fight Would Merge Counties Worlds Apart
Golden State Democrats say they need more seats in Congress to counter Trump. Rural Republicans say they’re being silenced.

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