Belgium’s N-VA party wants authorities to review more often whether 30 km/h zones are still necessary and, where safe, restore the speed limit to 50 km/h.
Flemish MP Andy Pieters said returning to 50 km/h where possible can also be sound traffic policy.
He was referring to the “assessment framework for speed regimes,” which is intended to help road authorities, often local councils, decide on a credible speed limit within built-up areas.
In practice, that means determining where a 30 km/h zone is appropriate and where 50 km/h would be more suitable.
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Pieters noted that the framework explicitly calls for speed limits to be monitored and evaluated after they are introduced.
He said authorities often examine where speeds should be reduced, but pay too little attention to whether an existing 30 km/h zone still makes sense and is working effectively.
He pointed to cities including Ostend, Willebroek and Aalst, where speed limits on some routes were recently raised again to 50 km/h.
According to Pieters, a decision to introduce a 30 km/h limit should not be permanent. If measurements and the design of the road show that 50 km/h is once again safe and justified, lowering the restriction should be seen as a normal policy choice.
