Police plan to halve speed limits on residential roads in Japan

The National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled a new initiative to halve the speed limit on narrow roads in residential areas from the current 60 km/h to 30 km/h in order to increase pedestrian safety.

Following a period of public hearings, the agency intends to review the Road Traffic Act and other relevant regulations and implement the changes by September 2026.

The proposed amendment will maintain the current 60 km/h limit on roads with a center line or multi-lane roads, while lowering the limit on roads without a center line to 30 km/h. Drivers on roads with special speed limit signs will continue to obey these limits.

Research shows that the likelihood of pedestrians being fatally injured increases significantly when vehicle speeds exceed 30 km/h, NPA reports. As a result, the NPA expert panel recommended reducing speed limits on roads commonly used by pedestrians to 30 km/h or less.

The agency is promoting “Zone 30” initiatives, which limit speeds to 30 km/h in designated zones, mainly residential areas, and is now moving toward a more comprehensive review of speed regulations. However, difficulties in placing speed limit signs on all residential roads have meant that some of them still have a speed limit of 60 km/h.

In addition to speed limit changes, the agency is also adjusting pedestrian crossing regulations.

The maximum allowable distance between white lines at intersections will increase from the current 45-50 centimeters to 90 centimeters to increase the spacing between them. The change is intended to help drivers avoid ruts and improve the durability – and visibility – of road markings. The updated system is scheduled to be introduced by the end of July this year.

Translated by The Japan Times