Authorities in St. Gallen have approved a plan to reduce the speed limit on all local and cantonal roads to 30 kilometres per hour at night, in an attempt to reduce noise pollution. In addition, by 2028, the local government will impose a 30 km / h speed limit on all roads during the day.
In a statement given to 20 minuten, the city council of St. Gallen argued that the noise limits imposed by the government are regularly “exceeded on several streets in the city." The council said that noise generated by traffic adversely affects 14 percent of the Swiss population - meaning around 11.000 people in the city.
“Road traffic causes noise and is therefore harmful to health. An effective and simple way to reduce road noise is speed reduction,” the city wrote. From now on, the council will begin reducing speed limits within the city to 30 km / h.
First, authorities will reduce the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour on all main roads during the night, with the exception of motorways. From there, the 30 km / h limit will be gradually applied to major roads during the day. By 2028, all roads within the city will have the lower speed limit.
Authorities praised the idea as a cost-effective solution to the noise pollution problem, noting that "no structural measures are required, only the signage needs to be adjusted." They also concluded that the measure would have a “limited” impact on public transport.