TOKYO - The legal speed limit on many residential roads will be lowered from 60 kilometers per hour to 30 kph on September 1, as police urge drivers to recognize that pedestrians should take priority on narrow neighborhood streets.
The new limit will apply to relatively narrow roads without features such as a centerline or median separating opposing traffic.
Motorists caught traveling at 60 kph or faster on a residential road subject to the 30-kph limit may face up to six months in custody or a fine of up to 100,000 yen.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the revision was introduced because accidents on residential roads are more likely to result in death or serious injury.
"Drivers should remember that people have priority on residential roads and take particular care to drive safely even on familiar streets," an official from the department's Traffic Regulation Division said.
The Metropolitan Police Department plans to strengthen efforts to publicize the new rule and promote safe driving through traffic safety campaigns and other initiatives.
Source: TOKYO MX NEWS














