- Public consultation on proposed 30 km/h urban speed limits begins November 26, 2025.
- No changes take effect yet — only paperwork, announcements, and the traditional Cretan ritual of “let us discuss this forever.”
- Consultation ends December 6, 2025.
- Specific road types would remain at 50 km/h if the proposal ever moves forward.
- More changes under review: bus routes, taxi rank relocation, and parking bans.
I live in Heraklion long enough to know that nothing motivates this city like a good, long, bureaucratic chat. And starting November 26, 2025, we officially enter the “Let Us Talk About Making Things Safer Without Actually Doing Anything Yet” phase.
The Municipal Authority released the fifth Traffic Committee document for public consultation, suggesting a 30 km/h speed limit across most of the city.
Do not panic. Do not change your driving style. Do not touch your speedometer because nothing has changed yet.
We are… discussing. Ten whole days of it, in fact — until December 6, 2025. That is ten days of opinions, objections, emails, theories, and at least three angry uncles yelling about scooters.
The Proposal Everyone Will Argue About
The plan leans on the new Article 24 of the Highway Code, which basically says:
“Cities should slow down before drivers slow themselves down permanently.”
But of course, exceptions exist, because this is Heraklion and we cannot do anything without exceptions.
Roads that would stay 50 km/h
- One-way streets with two or more lanes, clearly separated.
- Two-way streets with two lanes per direction, again separated.
- Two-way streets with a central island, the concrete kind, not the tropical kind
And trucks carrying passengers would be capped at:
- 30 km/h inside residential areas
- 50 km/h outside them
These are the rules we may eventually adopt. Or never adopt. Or adopt and forget to enforce.
Heraklion likes cliffhangers.
The Other Changes Nobody Saw Coming, but Everybody Will Have an Opinion On
Because no city consultation is complete without adding five more topics to keep everyone awake, the Traffic Committee also included:
Bonus debates
- Approval of updated city bus routes
- Moving the taxi rank from Nik. Krasadaki Street to Athan. Moussis Street
- Fresh no-parking and no-stopping rules
- Updates to traffic regulations around Papapetrou Gavalas in Mesampelies
This is the list that makes the casual driver wonder whether walking might be the superior mode of transportation.
Where to Complain, Comment, Approve, or Just Release Steam
If you have thoughts — and trust me, everyone will — you can email or call:
Pelagia Chaireti
- Email: hereti-p@heraklion.gr
- Phone: 2813 409 886
Be kind. Or be honest. Or be both. Just remember: these things go into official records.
Meanwhile, the City Keeps Moving at Its Usual Speed
Heraklion remains the same lively, fast-moving, horn-happy maze it has always been. The only difference is that, from November 26, we now talk about slowing down. Talking. Not doing. Not yet.
And maybe, in some alternate universe, a future version of the city will one day say, “You know what, let us actually change the speed limits.”
But for now, it is consultation time — our favourite local sport after double-parking and swearing at motorbikes.
