Buenos Aires: Improving safety by reducing speeding

In 2016, Argentina reported 5,530 road traffic fatalities.¹ City roads can be high-risk areas for road traffic crashes, particularly in zones where there is close proximity between vehicles and pedestrians.

The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires has been working with the Partnership for Healthy Cities and other local partners to improve the safety of its roads since 2017. The latest project focuses on the high-density Saénz Avenue transport area in the south of Buenos Aires, because of its relatively high rate of pedestrian fatalities. With support from the Partnership, and in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, a series of anti-speeding measures were gradually introduced after the city conducted a 2020 speeding patterns study that identified Saénz as one of four points in the metropolitan area with the highest number of incidents involving pedestrians and vehicle users. The study concluded that approximately 8% of drivers exceeded speed limits and that buses and trucks were more than twice as likely to speed as other vehicles.

The measures implemented at Saénz included the posting of clear signs to alert drivers of a new, reduced 50km speed limit—the speed limit had been changed at all the city’s major road highways. At Saénz, traffic calming measures such as elevated crossings were added to enforce lower bus speeds. A new central crossing island further increases protection for pedestrians. Finally, the city removed a full lane of traffic in order to add a series of continuous pedestrian crossings and sidewalks.

The removal of the island and traffic lane aims to reduce serious crashes by 35% and 15% respectively. At the same time, the new crossings are intended to reduce the risk of pedestrian injuries and fatalities by motor vehicles by 6%. The city is evaluating the improved road safety features, with results to be announced in November 2021.

______________________________________