Slower in Spain for 2019
On 28th December 2018, Spain confirmed that they will be implementing a 10km/h reduction to the speed limits on over 7,000 km of B roads nationwide.
Currently set at 100km/h, the new 90km/h limit will be an attempt to reduce the incidence of serious injury and death, 77% of which occur on these secondary roads. For buses, trucks and commercial vans, the limit will be 80 km/h.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s Interior Minister, announced the decision was a bid “to match the maximum speed on these types of roads with other countries around us”.
Countries enforcing a 90km/h speed limit on secondary roads include Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Greece and Croatio. France reduced the national speed limit on all B roads from 90km/h to 80km/h in July 2018 and saw a reduction of 15,5% of road deaths in August.
Set to be effective within the first couple of months of 2019 (sources cite 1st February as the most likely date), the speed limit will not apply to all B roads. Instead it will target the most accident-prone, including the N-II (ruta nacional II), which bypasses Figueres.
