Slower streets, safer lives.
Safer speeds help protect people walking, cycling and using streets in daily life. The World Health Organization supports 30 km/h streets where people and motor traffic mix.
A few km/h decide whether a car stops in time.
A child steps out 20 metres ahead. First the car keeps going while the driver notices and reacts. Only then does braking begin. At higher speeds, both distances grow.
How this is calculated: a driver needs about 1.5 seconds to notice and react, then brakes at 7 m/s² on a dry road. These are typical illustrative values, not crash statistics. Real distances change with the road surface, the vehicle and the driver.
You control the speed. Speed controls the outcome.
Maisha Kwanza calls for 30 km/h around schools, in residential areas and on city-centre streets where people and traffic mix.
Where people and traffic mix
Around schools
Children should be able to travel to and from school on streets designed for their safety.
In residential neighbourhoods
Streets should support everyday life, including walking, cycling and access to homes.
On city-centre streets
People need safe access to workplaces, shops and public transport where walking and vehicle movements overlap.
A speed-limit sign is only the start
Appropriate limits
Speeds set for the people who actually use the street.
Street design
Layouts that make the safe speed feel natural to drive.
Safe crossings
Places to cross where drivers expect people.
Enforcement and compliance
Rules that are followed, and upheld when they aren't.
Common myths about 30 km/h
“30 km/h is only for school zones”
overlooks residential streets and busy town centres where people also walk and cycle.
“A careful driver can stop in time at any speed”
overlooks the extra distance a vehicle travels at higher speeds before the driver can react.
“30 km/h means every road must have the same limit”
misses the point that the proposed limit applies to places where vehicles share space with people walking or cycling.
“A 30 km/h limit will double my journey time”
assumes you spend the whole trip at the speed limit, even when traffic lights, junctions and congestion slow you down.
“Pedestrian crossings make lower speeds unnecessary”
ignores how much easier it is for a driver travelling at 30 km/h to stop for someone crossing.
“30 km/h is too slow for motorcycles”
overlooks the fact that riders also need time and distance to stop when someone steps into the road.
“Putting up a 30 km/h sign is enough”
overlooks the role of raised crossings, narrower lanes and enforcement in helping drivers keep to the limit.
Campaign goal, not current law
This page explains what we are campaigning for. Speed limits that apply today are set by Kenyan law and the relevant road authorities. Always follow the posted limit.
Sources
World Health Organization (2021). Building streets for life. UN Global Road Safety Week campaign for 30 km/h streets. who.int
The stopping distances above are illustrative physics using typical reaction and braking values, as explained under the comparison.