Amsterdam trials signs that show how many drivers obey speed limit

The city of Amsterdam has started a pilot with dynamic speed signs that show how many drivers have obeyed the speed limit on a stretch of road. The hope is that herd mentality will get road users to follow speed rules.

Dynamic speed signs installed on roads in Amsterdam

Special road signs that show the total number of people who have travelled on a piece of road within the speed limit are being trialled in Amsterdam. They have been installed in Landsmeer, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Aalsmeer and Nieuw-Vennep.

Based on research by the Amsterdam Transport Region, drivers are more likely to follow the speed limit if they see others doing so. "People like to conform to social norms. By making that norm visible, we're putting that “herd behaviour” to positive use," spokesperson Leonie Veerman told Het Parool. 

Amsterdam tries new method to reduce speeding

At the end of 2023, Amsterdam introduced a new 30-kilometre-per-hour speed limit. However, 30 to 40 percent of drivers exceed this speed limit in the Dutch capital, with many viewing 5 to 10 km/h over the speed limit as harmless. 

Up until now, the city has been using signs with smiling faces for rule followers and frowning faces for speeders, but hopes that the new signs will move drivers away from the idea that “everyone is speeding anyway”. Seeing how many people have driven within the speed limit will emphasise that “most people in your neighbourhood do drive properly here”. 

The pilot project will run until October 9, 2025, after which the Amsterdam Transport Region will evaluate the results and decide whether the signs should be installed in more areas in the city.