Abley has recently been involved in developing Speed Management Guidance. To shape this work, we undertook interviews with experts across a range of contexts and locations. These conversations provided valuable insights into how speed management actions are identified, how implementation plans are shaped, and how communities respond to different approaches. Together, these lessons have helped us understand the pathways from policy to practice, and how they can be translated into effective guidance.
Global examples included:
Experiences implanting New Zealand’s Road to Zero Road Safety Strategy, particularly the Tackling Unsafe Speeds programme, from 2020 - 2023
Insights from studying over 40 European cities which have introduced 30km/h speed limits in recent years
Wales’ landmark 2023 decision to introduce a default 20 mph (30km/h) limit on all restricted roads, reshaping urban environments
30km/h urban speed limits continue to gather momentum around the world, led by Europe, where dozens of European cities now enjoy improved safety, liveability and other benefits thanks to lower speeds. Synthesising the findings from a broad range of these cities has helped capture valuable lessons and made the benefits more visible. Learn more here: 30km/h cities by George Yannis.
Behaviour change requires a full system approach. Infrastructure, vehicle standards, and enforcement must work together; campaigns alone cannot shift behaviour.
Street design is foundational. Narrow, traffic‑calmed streets reduce speeding naturally and send a clear message about expected behaviour.
Vehicle technology reinforces safe norms. EU‑wide standards such as ISA help normalise compliance and reduce reliance on individual driver judgement.
Visible enforcement matters. Without police presence, the public interprets limits as optional. Enforcement must be framed as life‑saving, not punitive.
Campaigns must match the scale of counter‑messaging. Automotive and motorway industries invest heavily in pro‑speed narratives; safety campaigns must be equally sophisticated.
Alliances strengthen legitimacy. Partnerships with insurers, experts, and community voices help counter industry pressure and broaden support.
Monitoring and evaluation must be transparent. Publishing results builds trust, shows seriousness, and helps refine measures without blame.
30km/h limits only work where the system supports them.
Dense cities, strong public transport, and cultural norms make blanket limits viable in Europe but not easily transferable elsewhere.Integrated system initiatives created strong foundations. Infrastructure changes, vehicle standards, and enforcement aligned to shape consistent expectations for drivers.
System alignment is the real driver of change. Infrastructure, technology, enforcement, and communication must be sequenced and mutually reinforcing.
National strategies provided coherence. EU‑level guidance and country‑level action plan offered clear roadmaps, KPIs, and baselines for progress.
Monitoring improved credibility. Regular reporting demonstrated where lives were saved and which measures were most effective.
Alliances amplified safety messages and behind the scenes alignment is essential. Collaboration with insurers and non‑government actors helped counterbalance commercial pro‑speed narratives. Police, experts, ambassadors, and community voices must reinforce the narrative for it to stick.
Political leadership is strengthened by evidence and evaluation must be politically digestible. EU‑wide standards, international examples, and strong monitoring frameworks give leaders confidence to act. Macro‑level trend reporting helps leaders accept findings without feeling personally blamed.
Targeted campaigns supported behaviour change. National messages were reinforced with tailored communications for schools, cyclists, and rural communities.
Public acceptance grew over time and followed lived experience. In cities like Paris, compliance increased significantly after two years as people adapted to consistently slower traffic speeds. Once people experience consistently slower traffic, resistance declines and norms shift.
Cultural context matters. Europe’s dense cities, strong public transport, and slower‑movement norms underpin the success of 30km/h speed limits.
Key findings focus on the 2020–2023 period under The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 (the Rule) which replaced the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017, which required speed limits to be set through bylaws. The new Rule made the setting of speed limits more efficient for RCAs by enabling a network approach rather than a piecemeal, road-by-road approach. The rule sought to improve speed management planning and consultation. The rule has subsequently been amended.
New Zealand’s journey shows that implementation is as much about people and politics as it is about technical design.
From 2020 – 2023 New Zealand started to implement Road to Zero, a road safety strategy for 2020 - 2030. This included a new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits, which changed the framework from speed limit setting via bylaws to Speed Management Plans and encouraged local government leadership. Subsequently the Road to Zero Strategy was halted in 2024 following a change in government, while the Setting of Speed Limits rule was amended to reduce speed limit setting options and requirements set under the Strategy.
Public sentiment runs deep. Speed touch’s identity, autonomy, and local context. Underestimating how strongly communities feel about speed changes created avoidable challenges.
Local government needs licence to act. Councils were closest to their communities and often more ready to move than central agencies. Empowering them earlier would have accelerated progress.
The concept needed better storytelling. New Zealand had strong evidence and successful case studies, but these weren’t used effectively to build public understanding or demonstrate lives saved.
The messenger matters. Trusted voices—paramedics, former police, community leaders—could have been used more deliberately to front the conversation and humanise the issue.
Consultation needed to be more direct. Traditional processes created confusion and unrealistic expectations. A clearer, more decisive approach would have helped manage public understanding.
Momentum matters. Long debates allowed opposition to grow. Moving with more pace and intent would have reduced uncertainty and kept the focus on safety outcomes.
Implementation must be pragmatic and sensitive. Stronger engagement through regional networks and better understanding of local perceptions would have supported smoother rollout.
Partners must speak with one voice. A shared narrative and joint vision across agencies are essential to maintain legitimacy and avoid mixed messages.
In September 2023, the Welsh government introduced the default 20 mph speed limit, changing every urban residential that had a 30 mph limit to 20 mph unless it was given an exemption by the local authority. Essentially, almost everywhere people lived in Wales now had slower speed limits. This new law meant that Wales was the first nation to impose 20 mph as the default speed limit on all restricted roads. Key findings focus on the 2023–2024 period.
Across Europe, New Zealand, and Wales, a clear pattern emerges; speed management succeeds when system design, political leadership, and public engagement reinforce one another, though each context shapes how these elements come together.
What’s consistent across all three examples is the need for coherence infrastructure that supports slower speeds, credible enforcement, clear communication, and aligned partners. All regions also show that public acceptance grows over time, especially once people experience the benefits and early safety gains become visible. And in every case, the messenger matters: trusted voices and strong alliances help counter resistance and build resilience and legitimacy.
Where they differ is in how the system supports behaviour change. Europe benefits from dense cities, strong public transport, and long‑standing cultural norms that make slower speeds feel natural. New Zealand’s more dispersed networks and strong car culture mean public sentiment plays a larger role, and political leadership must work harder to build understanding and momentum. Wales sits somewhere in between. Its nationwide 20 mph shift shows the power of decisive policy, but also highlights the risks when communications, local alignment, and enforcement aren’t fully in place from the start.
Together, the three examples show that while the principles of successful speed management are universal, the pathways to implementation must be tailored to local culture, political context, and system readiness.