An analysis in the city of Zurich shows: Contrary to the opinion of many middle-class traffic politicians, the reduction in speed has a clear impact on street noise. But it also slows down public transport.
Tempo 30 ensures more calm, but slows public transport by 1 to 3 seconds per 100 meter journey.
Symbolic picture: TA
The discussion of Tempo 30 has often been controversial and emotional in the past. Civilian transport politicians are convinced that speed 30 does not deliver as much as the authorities hoped for and will only slow down drivers.
In order to “objectify” the discussion, as the canton puts it, the city and canton of Zurich carried out an analysis. At nine speeds of 30 routes in the city, it was measured how much the noise dropped – and whether drivers were adhering to the new speed requirements. Measurements were taken before and after the new signaling.
The results, which were published on Thursday, show that the noise is actually decreasing. The reduction is between 0.6 and 2.9 decibels during the day and between 1.1 and 3.1 decibels at night. Noise is perceived as “quieter” from a reduction of 1 decibel. Especially at night, speed 30 ensures more peace.
On those routes where the noise only decreased by 0.6 decibels, Tempo 30 didn’t help much. However, this is not primarily due to the Tempo 30 concept, but rather to the fact that many drivers did not comply with the new requirement. Especially on Rämi and Steinstrasse, many are still traveling too fast.
No shifting effects to the quarters were found on all the routes examined.
The bus also slows down
Logically, slower pace means longer travel time. The analysis shows that the travel time per 100 meters increases by 1 to 3 seconds. This also applies to public transport. A bus also progresses more slowly because speed 30 applies to it too.
“We have to pay particular attention to lost times in public transport”, economics director Carmen Walker Späh (FDP) is quoted in the message. Finally, an attractive, well-networked public transport also helps to reduce road noise.
ACS: “A patchwork quilt”
At the ACS Automobile Club, the investigation is mediocre. Most of the measured noise reductions would correspond to the calculations made earlier. Reliable statements about alternative traffic to the neighborhoods would be missing, however, because drivers would first have to get used to a new regime.
In addition, Zurich remains a patchwork for drivers, said the ACS. The pace regime changes constantly. It was difficult for road users to determine which pace was currently in effect. This uncertainty means that drivers would be “quickly and unnecessarily criminalized” by checks in the 30 km / h zone.
Traffic was not shifted either
More enthusiasm comes from the other side, the traffic club VCS. The analysis shows what had long been known. “Tempo 30 works, we knew it for a long time,” writes the VCS. “And the argument that was repeatedly heard, that speed 30 leads to alternate trips, was once again invalidated.” There are simply no verifiable shift effects.
The VCS now hopes that this study will have an impact within the authorities.
However, the autocritical VCS agrees on one point with the ACS: Zurich has become a patchwork that is difficult for drivers to understand. The Tempo 30 signaling that had been issued so far was not the result of a strategy and had been ordered by chance. But an overall view of how the quarters could be protected from noise is needed.
(SDA)
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