New 30km/h Speed Limit In The Capital Causes Chaos

Malaysia too might see a 30km/h speed limit for residential areas, towns and villages.

It's only been a week since the 30 km/h speed limit was set in Paris, and already road users in the French capital have begun to protest at the new speed limit.

According to a Bernama report quoting the Italian News Agency, ANSA, more and more protests are being staged by Parisian car drivers as they have to face new policies that have made traffic worse in the city, resulting in one big mess.

"Pedestrians are faster than cars" was one of the slogans chanted by the protesters, ANSA wrote. The report also mentioned that quarrels between drivers are frequent, especially when some drivers have complied with the new speed limit while others have disobeyed them. 

Taxi drivers in Paris have also voiced their concerns over the matter as customers often ask them to step on it, because the slower speed is costing them more of their time and taxi fare.

"The journey that should have taken only 20 minutes has now increased to 33 minutes, causing taxi fares to increase." said a spokesman representing taxi drivers.

Suppose you're wondering why this bit of news is being highlighted, well it's because last May, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Studies (MIROS) also proposed a speed limit of 30 km/h for residential areas, towns and villages as part of the national road safety plan for 2021 to 2030.

According to MIROS Director-General Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim, the lower speed limit proposed will allow humans to mix with traffic better and will enable the community to create a safer and healthier environment.

Malaysia is among the participating countries which have mandated the 18 resolutions of road safety, set out at the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (also known as the Stockholm Declaration) in February 2020, 

The international conference saw 80 ministers pledging to halve road deaths by 2030 through key actions for safe roads and roadsides, including safe road use, safe speed, sober driving, preventing driving while distracted and use of safety belts and protective equipment; and fast and effective post-crash care.