A new Australia-based study found that reducing speed limits for cars from 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) to 30 kilometers per hour (18.6 mph) would barely affect drivers while protecting cyclists.
The Guardian summarized the paper, which found that slowing the speed of cars in residential neighborhoods doubled the amount of bike traffic on low-stress streets. Meanwhile, such changes wouldn't significantly affect car commutes, as they would apply only to local streets rather than the busier roads.
Cycling rates are low in Australia, the publication reported, and many people in larger cities like Melbourne and Sydney feel unsafe commuting via bicycle.
"Slowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport," the study's lead researcher, Afshin Jafari, told the Guardian.
Increasing bike ridership has a multitude of benefits. According to the Victoria State Government's Better Health Channel, the increased physical activity associated with cycling can protect people from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis.
Forgoing a car for commuting also cuts down on the planet-warming pollution we're producing and protects city dwellers from dangerous air pollution. Already marginalized communities, such as those living near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, are often disproportionately impacted by traffic pollution.
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Melbourne isn't the only city to grapple with unsafe conditions for bicycle commuters. For instance, cities like Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Las Vegas in the U.S. have grappled with motor vehicle strikes to bike riders, sometimes resulting in cyclist deaths.
Meanwhile, many communities across the globe are adopting Vision Zero strategies to make conditions safer for bicycle commuters and pedestrians. The Vision Zero Network advocates for preventing unsafe car speeds, among other suggestions.
"Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all," the organization said on its website.
According to the authors of the new study, their simple change could be a win for cyclists while minimizing inconveniences to motorists.
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"These findings indicate substantial benefit that speed limit reductions could provide for cycling at negligible cost to motorized traffic," they concluded.
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