Amsterdam is the first city in the Netherlands to introduce a speed limit of up to 30 kilometers per hour on most of its streets to make the city safer and less noisy, with the measure taking effect on Friday.
The member of the city assembly, Melanie van der Horst, in charge of traffic, explains that this measure is necessary because of the growing number of people in the city, reports N1.
"The result is that we have more and more dangerous traffic situations," she said.
Last year, around 4.800 accidents were recorded that required the intervention of an ambulance, while 15 people lost their lives in traffic accidents.
The speed limit will be valid on about 80 percent of the city streets, and a speed of 50 km/h will be allowed on the main roads.
Exceptions are also city buses, trams and taxis, but only if there is a special lane for them.
The number of inhabitants, currently around 800.000, is increasing. Also, Amsterdam is visited annually by about 20 million tourists.
The city also promotes cycling and walking, and many streets in the city center are closed to traffic and turned into pedestrian and cycling zones.
Bonus video:
