Photo: UN 24-04-1964
The introduction of the speed limit in Utrecht has contributed greatly to increasing road safety. This was reported by the Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad on Friday, April 24, 1964.
Although traffic intensity has increased sharply, even doubling in recent years, and the number of accidents has kept pace, far fewer people have died in traffic after the introduction of the speed limit than in a similar period before. This is evident from an overview of the number of fatal accidents in Utrecht over the last ten years. A total of 229 people lost their lives in traffic during this period.
The overview is divided into two periods of five years each. The first from 1954 to 1958 and the second from 1959 to 1963. The Amsterdamsestraatweg with its many intersections was particularly dangerous for road users until 1958. Accidents then claimed the lives of seventeen people.
The Biltstraat-Kruisstraat-Bekkerstraat intersection follows in this sad statistic as the second street and intersection where, after the Amsterdamsestraatweg, the most fatal collisions took place. Eleven road users were fatally injured here. Five people were killed in traffic on the Vleutenseweg.
A significant decrease in these fatal accidents can be observed after the introduction of the speed limit. Four fatal accidents occurred on the Amsterdamsestraatweg in the period 1959-1963, one road user was fatally injured on the Biltstraat near the Kruisstraat-Bekkerstraat intersection, while there were no casualties on the Vleutenseweg.
The installation of traffic lights in Biltstraat and the reduction of motor vehicle speed in the city districts has clearly contributed to increased safety on the streets and intersections mentioned. In sharp contrast to these improved figures, Kanaalstraat stands out. In the period before the introduction of the speed limit, three people lost their lives on this street with its many intersections, while in recent years nine people were killed.
