Excessive speediness free#

Speed limit enforcement is extensive on Dutch roads, including traffic enforcement cameras in urban areas and radar guns on national roads and motorways. The Netherlands was the first country to use the speed cameras with trials of the technology starting in the late 1950s. Speed limit enforcement ĭutch rally driver, Maus Gatsonides, is famed for inventing the Gatso speed camera and founding the Gatsometer BV company (which is now Sensys Gatso). Light commercial vehicles under 3.5 tons don't have special speed limits. This following the same regulation as standing above. Ĭars and trucks pulling a trailer with a total (car+trailer) weight under 3.5 tons have an overall speed limit of 90 km/h (56 mph), and coaches equipped with seat belts, categorized as T100, have an overall speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph). Trucks and vehicles above 3.5 tons are required to have a speed limiting device to prevent them from speeding above 90 km/h (56 mph). On roads or lanes with a (general or posted) speed limit under 80 km/h, these vehicles must abide by this lower limit. In the Netherlands, heavy trucks and vehicles and trailer combinations with a total weight over 3.5 metric tons (7,700 lb) and busses have an overall speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph) on expressways and motorways. Only during nighttime the former limit of 130 km/h (81 mph) remained. Meanwhile, the 2019 Dutch nitrogen emissions crisis, which indirectly caused the 2019–2020 Dutch farmers' protests, convinced the government on 13 November 2019 to lower the speed limits in the Netherlands on national roads to 100 kilometres per hour during the day, from 6 am (6:00) to 7 pm (19:00).

Excessive speediness free#

Although the government was free to choose which measures it would take to achieve this reduction, the plaintiff and other environmentalists suggested lowering the speed limit as one of several effective options to do so.

Urgenda Foundation court case was decided in favour of its plaintiff Urgenda (initially in June 2015, upheld on appeal in October 2018, and finally confirmed by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands on 20 December 2019), who successfully forced the government to implement the necessary measures to reduce the Netherlands' CO 2 emissions from 1990 levels by 25% by 2020. On 1 September 2012, the motorway default speed limit was raised from 120 km/h (75 mph) to 130 km/h (81 mph), but it applies to only 48% of all motorways with the intent of 60% of motorways. Starting in May 2002, 80 km/h zones have been introduced on some motorways that had daily traffic congestion and air pollution issues however, most of these zones have been or will be abolished, with the exception of short stretches of the A20 ring road near Rotterdam and the A10 ring road near Amsterdam. Nevertheless, many motorways have a posted speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph) between 7:00 and 19:00, which automatically allows a higher speed on night times with a lower traffic density. The Netherlands did not have specific night speed limits until 2020. However, only motorized vehicles capable of driving at least 50 km/h and 60 km/h are allowed to enter Dutch expressways and motorways, respectively. Unlike neighbouring countries such as Belgium, there is no minimum speed on Dutch motorways. Contrarily, some four-lane urban arterial roads have a posted 70 km/h (44 mph) speed limit. In urban residential areas, 30 km/h (19 mph) zones are found, as well as home zones ( woonerven), in which vehicles must adhere to a walking pace (15 km/h (9 mph) is tolerated). Motorways passing through urban areas are usually limited to 100 km/h and narrow regional roads may have 60 km/h (37 mph) speed limits.

Īdditionally, lower speed limits may apply in speed zones. The default speed limits in the Netherlands are 50 km/h (31 mph) inside built-up areas, 80 km/h (50 mph) outside built-up areas, 100 km/h (62 mph) on expressways ( autowegen), and, as of 16 March 2020, 100 km/h from 6:00 to 19:00 and 130 km/h from 19:00 to 6:00 on motorways ( autosnelwegen). Border crossing sign indicating which speed limits apply in the Netherlands