The New Road Traffic Code of Greece
The new Greek Road Traffic Code introduces city-wide 30 km/h speed limit in all urban streets of one or two directions with a single lane per direction, making Greece the second EU country after Spain to implement such a measure. A bold move of the Greek Government towards a new road safety culture, with a brand-new Road Traffic Code with the active contribution of National Technical University of Athens.
The New Road Traffic Code is rationalising and simplifying penalties and linking them to the offences’ seriousness and magnitude. It also quite rightly refers to punishing drivers rather than vehicles and to further punishing recidivists. In addition, it introduces a number of correct and necessary traffic management provisions with emphasis on motorcycles (filtering & special waiting zone at traffic lights) and the 30km/h speed limit in cities.
For the effective implementation of the new Road Traffic Code, necessary accompanying measures have been foreseen in order to reduce the human intervention that currently delays and ultimately renders the penalty system ineffective. These measures concern the introduction of more than 4.000 cameras for the certification of fines for all basic offences (i.e. speeding, helmet, seat-belt, mobile phone use) which is now possible by the new technologies and in parallel the new digital management of fines with the interconnection of the systems of Traffic Police, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Taxes Authority.
The provision for a 30km/h speed limit on all roads of one or two directions with one lane in each direction in all urban areas was a bold and very good choice, giving the right message that lower speeds lead to fewer and less serious road crashes. It is expected to bring spectacular results and it is estimated that more than 100 lives will be saved annually in Greece, especially motorcyclists, who are the major problem in Greece, but also pedestrians. City-wide 30km/h speed limit is the since-long waited single road safety measure with such significant benefits at such a low cost and with such a small change in our habits. In fact, it is more than a simple new traffic rule, it is a catalyser for a new safe mobility culture.
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) scientific support and campaign
metaCCAZE partner NTUA, played an important role in the development of this new Greek Road Traffic Code during the last five years; not only by introducing all key issues at the National Road Safety Strategic Plan (developed by NTUA) but also by providing scientific expertise and supporting evidence-based decisions at all stages of the new Road Traffic Code development. Experiences and best practice from metaCCAZE project were largely exploited.
Furthermore, Professor George Yannis and his research team carried a global awareness campaign, which contributed largely to decisions on the new Greek Road Traffic Code, by running 30 Marathons in 30 months in order to actively promote the adoption of 30km/h speed limit in as many cities as possible worldwide, as a key policy for safer, healthier and greener cities. This campaign was concluded in November 2024 in Athens (all Marathons in under 4 hours) with a particularly significant global impact through extensive media outreach in 25 major European cities, including press, tv and radio coverage and a highly effective social media presence that achieved significant reach and engagement in terms of views and likes. It has attracted over 500,000 pageviews annually and reached an audience of more than 150,000 through social media, with 50 dedicated posts and over 200 reposts by scientific Organisations and Institutions, generating 80,000+ impressions.
All media interventions are available at: https://georgeruns30x30.com/media
The campaign’s impact was further substantiated through the first-ever two high-quality scientific review papers, with meta-analyses of implementation and effectiveness of city-wide 30 km/h schemes in several European cities, which are now cited largely worldwide:
– Simulation studies: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S002243752400152X
– Implementation results: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4382
Time for action at European level for Safer and Smarter Cities
Speeding, as the key factor for road crashes, must be recognised as a major societal health issue for which action is needed at EU level, as is the case with smoking and alcohol consumption. Consequently, the European Union should set the maximum speed limits in all urban roads in Europe, and national and local Authorities can only make the necessary adjustments of lower speed limits after specific studies. Given its unprecedented benefits, the city-wide 30km/h speed limits should become a European rule (of course with the exception of selected main axes e.g. roads with a median), with the EU assuming thus its fundamental role of protecting its citizens’ lives.
About the Author
George Yannis is Professor in Traffic and Safety Engineering with particular focus on data science and Director of the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering of the School of Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). For more than 30 years, he has contributed extensively in more than 335 research and engineering projects and studies and in several scientific committees of the European Commission and other International Organisations. He has published more than 980 scientific papers (276 in scientific journals) widely cited worldwide. He actively contributes to the metaCCAZE project, helping develop urban transport solutions that enhance safety and sustainability.
