Schaerbeek becomes 30kph from 1 September

Schaerbeek has become the first commune in Brussels to impose a 30kph standard speed limit on all but a handful of roads.

The new speed limit comes into force at midnight on 1 September. New roadsigns have been put up as well as warning panels as drivers enter the municipality.

"The benefits of such a measure are multiple," said Schaerbeek town hall. "It will reduce the number and the severity of accidents, improve traffic flow, reduce traffic jams and cut pollution."

A few major roads in Schaerbeek will remain 50kph - including Boulevard Lambermont, Avenue Rogier, Chaussée de Louvain and Boulevard Leopold III, which links the city centre with Nato and the airport.

The reduced speed limit follows a series of hit-and-run incidents in the municipality. A 28-year-old journalist for De Standaard was killed as she crossed Chaussée de Haecht and an 86-year-old woman was killed by a truck while crossing Place Liedts.

In January a five-year-old girl was injured when a speeding car lost control and ploughed into a playground on Avenue Voltaire. A local collective, Schaerbeek 1030/0, has been actively campaigning for better road safety measures.