Bologna 30km/h city: Results show the number of crashes and injuries are decreasing in the city

A comparison of data between 2023 and 2024 has revealed crashes and injuries have decreased in Bologna, as a result of the introduction of the '30km/h city'. 

Figures released by the Municipality have revealed that the number of crashes and injuries recorded has reduced within the first two months of the introduction of the 30km/h speed limit across the city. The total number of crashes recorded has fallen by 17% (377), of which one was fatal, and the number of injuries on the roads has also decreased by 19% (304).

In recent months, the 30km/h city has sparked much debate in national politics, but at the time when the initiative, led by Mayor Lepore, was being criticised, there was a lack of data to support the thesis that this would be an incorrect measure.

This new data compared the period from 15 January to 10 March over the two different years (2023 and 2024). Compared to 2023, crashes with injured people in Bologna fell by 15%, and the number of people injured in crashes fell by 19.4%. There were also fewer crashes in which there were no injured people (by 18.4%) and no road users in a reserved prognosis.

Willing to change, the people of Bologna have followed other European examples, such as Paris and Bilbao. The 30km/h speed limit was the result of citizen engagement, and these citizens are now directly seeing progress thanks to these traffic calming measures. The city is now leading the way for other Italian municipalities that are also thinking about introducing the same measure, which has been proven to contribute to a decrease of crashes and injuries.