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Hannover Tempo-30 Trial Delivers Slower Speeds and Less Noise as Law Blocks Wider Use

Local results intensify calls to give municipalities wider authority to set lower limits.

Overview

  • Region Hannover published its one-year evaluation showing average speeds fell about 10% and by up to 20% on some stretches, with measured road noise generally decreasing.
  • Officials reported no serious accidents on the test sections, while noting the dataset is too small for statistically robust conclusions.
  • Because of current traffic-law constraints, some reductions cannot continue—Poggenhagen has already reverted—though 10 to 12 sections may retain lower limits pending legal review.
  • A non-representative survey found 55–65% of local respondents favor keeping the reductions, and transport chief Ulf-Birger Franz is urging legal changes to expand municipal discretion, particularly near schools and in town centers.
  • In parallel developments, Dresden ordered weekday 30 km/h on the full Pfotenhauerstraße to improve school-route safety, and an Austrian driver filed a formal objection to a 50 km/h limit, arguing required accident or noise analyses are missing.