Ministers from around the world meet to adopt the “Stockholm Declaration” at a conference[1] in February which includes commitment to 30kmh (20mph) speed limits where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix.
[1] https://www.roadsafetysweden.com/
At the request of the UN General Assembly, the Government of Sweden will host – in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) – the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety from 19-20 February 2020 in Stockholm. National delegations led by ministers of transport, health, interior and other sectors are expected to attend from more than 100 countries, as well as representatives of international agencies, civil society organisations and the private sector. The Ministerial Conference will also provide an opportunity to link road safety to other sustainability challenges reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Chairman’s conclusions, called the “Stockholm Declaration[2]”, will be presented by the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure, Mr. Tomas Eneroth, as the final outcome document of the Ministerial Conference. Building on the Moscow Declaration of 2009 and the Brasilia Declaration of 2015 and UN General Assembly and World Health Assembly resolutions, the Stockholm Declaration will be ambitious and forward-looking and will connect road safety to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Stockholm Declaration will also reflect the recommendations of the Academic Expert Group and its independent and scientific assessments of progress made during the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and its proposals for a way forward.
The draft declaration contains 16 resolutions which include a 30kmh as a key action in its focus on speed management:
“We, Ministers and Heads of Delegations as well as representatives of international, regional and sub-regional governmental and nongovernmental organizations and the private sector gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19 and 20 February 2020 for the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety;……
Reiterating our strong commitment to achieving global goals by 2030 and emphasizing our shared responsibility, we hereby resolve to;……
10. Focus on speed management, including the strengthening of law enforcement to prevent speeding and mandate a maximum road travel speed limit of 30 km/h in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe, noting that efforts to reduce speed will have a beneficial impact on air quality and climate change as well as being vital to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries;”
Rod King MBE, Director of 20’s Plenty for Us said:
“20mph/30kmh limits are becoming the standard for best practice in communities around the world. This declaration by Transport Ministers worldwide will endorse 20mph/30kmh as the appropriate limit wherever vulnerable road users mix with motorised vehicles. This sets a clear and unambiguous message that adoption of 20mph/30kmh limits as a default is necessary on urban and village streets where people live, work and visit. It also endorses the wide benefits of such lower speeds beyond just road safety to include air quality, public health and climate change.”
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