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ENABLERS OF 30KM/H SPEED LIMIT ZONES: PERSPECTIVES FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA

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Authors: Megan Oakey and Lauren Pearson

Megan Oakey

Since 2016, Megan has been the Manager for Injury Prevention at the BC Centre for Disease Control and a member of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit. She has over 20 years of public health experience in Canada, Australia, Cambodia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Megan provides Public Health leadership in British Columbia and chairs multiple committees, including the BC Public Health Injury Prevention Committee and the BC Injury Prevention Alliance. Through her work Megan facilitates guidance and recommendations on injury prevention to the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Public Health Executive Committee.

 

Lauren Pearson

Dr. Lauren Pearson is a Research Fellow and Equity Lead within the Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research Group in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SPHPM) at Monash University, Australia. Lauren is an applied transport and public health researcher, with expertise on the intersection between sustainable and active modes of transport, and gender equity. Her vision is to unlock the potential of equitable active transport (walking and bike riding) to realize the significant health, environmental, social and economic benefits of getting more people active as part of everyday. 

Abstract (200-250 words)

Amid a physical activity and mental health crisis, increasing road trauma rates, and a climate emergency, the need for interventions that enable people to use active mobility (walking and biking) are more important than ever. 30 km/h speed zones are one of the most cost-effective road safety interventions to enhance the safety and liveability of local streets. We have seen the effect of these speed zones in places such as Wales, Scotland, Colombia, across Europe, and in some areas of Canada, yet uptake nationwide is limited. In British Columbia (B.C.), more than 60 municipalities have adopted 30 km/h residential speed limit zones, driven by strong public and municipal support. Survey data indicate increasing approval among B.C. residents, particularly when informed about the life-saving impact of lower speeds. In our study, we consulted road safety experts with an aim to explore facilitators to adopting 30km/h zones in B.C. Policy clarifications in 2022 removed previous barriers related to signage requirements, enabling more municipalities to implement reduced speed limits efficiently. Additionally, the longstanding presence of 30 km/h school and playground zones has helped normalize lower speeds and build public acceptance. While local efforts in B.C. have made significant progress toward scaling 30 km/h speeds, they remain unevenly distributed, often favouring affluent or active-transport-interested communities. A province-wide default speed limit of 30 km/h would remove the need for extensive signage, reduce costs for municipalities, and ensure equitable safety benefits across all communities. As momentum for lower speed limits continues to grow, scaling up this intervention to create safer, equitable, more liveable streets is needed. 

Introduction

Over recent decades, knowledge of effective road safety measures has grown significantly (1,2). The Vision Zero and Safe System Approach emphasize six key elements for ensuring road safety: Safe land use planning, Safe speeds, Safe road users, Safe vehicles, Safe road design, and Post-crash care (2). Speed is widely recognized as the critical factor in both the occurrence and severity of crashes. Setting speed limits at “survivable speeds”—where the likelihood of survival in a collision is high—has proven highly effective (3). For example, in Toronto they observed a 67% reduction in fatal and serious injury after 30 km/h speeds were implemented, and a 46% reduction was observed in London, United Kingdom (4,5).

In recognition, there is growing momentum globally to implement 30 km/h speeds on local streets to prioritize the movement of people over motor vehicle traffic, including by the World Health Organization (6). However, the benefits of 30 km/h speeds extend well beyond reductions in crashes alone. 30 km/h zones create safer, more inviting streets by reducing the risk and severity of crashes, and by making walking and cycling more attractive and accessible for people of all ages and abilities (AAA) for their everyday trips (4,5,7,8). This has significant benefits for not only physical health, but also mental health due to enhanced liveability and social connectedness. Emissions reductions of up to 18% have also been recorded following implementation, alongside significant reductions in noise pollution (9,10). By slowing vehicle speeds, these zones create a more people-friendly environment and foster community interactions, ultimately transforming streets into spaces no longer dominated by motor vehicles alone.

The question is no longer about whether 30 km/h speed limits work and are needed, but how can we implement these at scale. To better understand current and historical enablers, we undertook a study asking experts their opinion on facilitating factors in both B.C. and the State of Victoria, Australia (11). Themes from experts point to several factors that have been key to the recent proliferation of 30km/h speed zones in B.C.

30 km/h zones in B.C.

At last count, over sixty B.C. municipalities have implemented slower residential speed limit zones or whole-of-municipality residential speed limits. The District of Saanich has lowered some residential streets to 30 km/h and is in the process of lowering many more in 2025 as it strives toward its Vision Zero goal (12). Likewise, the City of Victoria has begun to lower residential speed limits systematically by neighbourhood (13). The City of Duncan has also reduced its default speed to 30 km/h by signing all entrances to the City indicating the default speed limit is 30 km/h, unless otherwise posted, while allowing speeds of 40 km/h on connector roads (14). In addition to the City of Vancouver’s neighbourhood traffic calming, council passed a motion (April 10, 2024) directing staff to initiate work on a citywide speed limit reduction to 30 km/h on local streets (15). Other local governments who have reduced all their residential roads to 30 km/h are Whistler, Bowen Island, Fraser Lake, Rossland, and 100 Mile House.

Public interest and support

Participants from B.C. who were interviewed in our study said that public and municipal support was often strong. Several surveys also demonstrate support for 30 km/h speed limits among B.C. residents. Three public opinion surveys in 2019, 2021 and 2022 by Research Co. found an increasing percentage of respondents saying they would “definitely” or “probably” like to see the speed limit reduced to 30 km/h on all residential streets in their own municipality, from 58% in 2019 to 66% in 2022 (16-18). Opposition also dropped during that time from 34% to 28% of respondents saying they would “definitely” or “probably” not like to see speed limits reduced. 

A 2023 survey of B.C. residents (manuscript under review) conducted by Leger on behalf of the BC Public Health Injury Prevention Committee found:

  • 60% of residents supported 30 km/h speed limits on residentials streets, with arterial roads remaining at 50 km/h or more (17% neither approve nor disapprove, 23% disapprove). 
  • 68% agreed that 30 km/h speed limits on residential streets will make walking and cycling safer (20% neither agree nor disagree, 12% disagree). 
  • Respondents were more likely to support 30 km/h residential speed limits if they knew a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at 50 km/h has, on average, a 10% chance of survival but if struck at 30 km/h has a 90% chance of survival, with 64% more likely to support, 30% just as likely to support, and 6% less likely to support.

Policy clarification

In B.C., the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) establishes a default speed limit of 50 km/h on municipal roads unless otherwise posted. Specific roadways, such as highways or school zones, require signage to indicate different limits, such as 80 km/h for highways and 30 km/h for school zones.

Historically, municipalities in B.C. seeking to lower speed limits in residential areas below 50 km/h believed the MVA required a speed limit sign posted on every block to indicate the change in speed limit. This posed a significant barrier due to the costs associated with additional signage and maintenance. However, in early 2022, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) clarified that no such requirement exists (19). Instead, municipalities should consider factors such as road network design, strategic signage placement to support enforcement, and legal guidance when determining signage frequency. MoTI cited Nelson, B.C., as an example, where perimeter signage at highway entry points indicates lower speed limits within the community.

This clarification allowed smaller municipalities to confidently proceed with perimeter signage on their entrance roadways and larger municipalities, such as Victoria, Saanich, and Vancouver, to discuss the best approaches with partners such as local police. For example, the City of Vancouver directed staff in 2024 to assess the MoTI’s guidance and develop recommendations for implementing a municipality-specific reduced speed limit on residential streets—particularly minor local roads without a centreline (20).

Building on the success of the 30 km/h school and playground zones

Both school and playground zones in B.C. were reduced to 30 km/h from 40 km/h in the early 2000s. Experts interviewed in our study who were involved in this implementation across B.C. reported this shift as pivotal in creating the level of social acceptance of 30 km/h speeds present in B.C. communities today. This, alongside complementary messaging of the need for slower speeds to protect the safety of children and high interest in school active travel by kids, parents and school districts, have assisted in cultivating an enabling environment for municipalities to scale them to other areas, including municipality-wide and neighbourhood zones.

The City of Vancouver has even implemented speed reductions around 25 schools located on arterials, further habituating drivers to the importance of slower speeds (21). 

Other traffic calming required

Because 30km/h speed limits are just one layer of safety, many municipalities have also incorporated, or plan to incorporate, other speed calming measures to signal 30 km/h to drivers. Various road infrastructure improvements have been implemented, such as traffic diversions, speed humps, chicanes, modal filters, protected active mobility lanes, lane narrowing, and intersection redesign. Municipalities have also employed certain traffic regulations, such as no-right-turn-on-red and leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) at intersections. Most municipalities also work closely with local police to ensure support for enforcement efforts.

The need for 30 km/h default speed limit

Despite the success of local efforts to create 30 km/h speed zones, the fundamental change required is switching the default speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. This would shift the need for signage to only roadways with higher speed limits, which comprise a far lower proportion of the road network, costing far less for local governments.

We have also noticed that local efforts in B.C. tend to be more successful in either affluent areas or communities that highly value active transportation or outdoor recreation. This is not seen in all communities but is a trend that exacerbates unequal distribution of safety and place-making benefits on our roadways. A 30 km/h default speed limit would ensure safety benefits are experienced equally.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that 30 km/h speed limits are a highly effective intervention for improving road safety, creating liveable communities, and promoting active transport for people of all ages and abilities (AAA). The success of local initiatives in B.C. highlights the feasibility and benefits of implementing lower speed limits, yet current efforts remain unevenly distributed. Shifting the default speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h would remove barriers to widespread adoption, ensuring equitable safety and mobility benefits for all communities. As municipalities continue to embrace this change, the next step is clear: scaling up implementation to transform streets into safer, more inclusive spaces for everyone.

 

REFERENCES

 

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