“30m30 – Promoting 30km/h city-wide speed limits by running 30 Marathons in 30 months” of NTUA (Scientific Responsible) (2022-2024)

Road crashes is a major societal problem worldwide, with 1.35 million road fatalities per year and more than 50 million of road injuries. Speeding is the number one cause of road crashes worldwide, especially in cities where pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are highly exposed and vulnerable in case of a collision. Scientists urge continuously for lower speeds worldwide, however speeding remains a model and sought behaviour among most drivers and riders, especially the young; very often promoted or largely tolerated by the society, the Authorities and the industry. The voices of vulnerable road users for less speeding remain weak towards our long-established car and speed centred societies.

Lately, some City Authorities started to understand the fatal role of speeding in city streets and attempt to implement policies of lower speeds, often through the adoption of smaller or larger zones with speed limit of 30 km/h (20 miles/hour); in some cases, covering the whole city (e.g. EU capital, Brussels). Scientific evidence so far demonstrates more than 40% lives saved with the introduction of 30km/h zones; in parallel to significant positive environmental, energy and health impacts with less fuel consumption and more walking and cycling. The discussion and introduction of 30 km/h city zones faces strong reactions and rigid inertia, whereas supporters’ voices are weak and inefficient resulting in hesitant politicians and Authorities.

After more than 30 years of dedication to road safety science and several Marathon races, these two passions will be combined for a cause: to run 30 Marathons in 30 months in order to actively promote the adoption of 30km/h speed limit in as many cities as possible worldwide. By running Marathons, during these 30 months, the 30 km/h city-wide speed limits will be actively promoted as the best paradigm for safer, healthier, and greener cities.