BRATISLAVA: A Slovak lawmaker has clarified that pedestrians will not face a speed limit, after political debate led to confusion and mockery, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Member of Parliament Ľubomír Vážny, who drafted the amendment, told public broadcaster STVR on Wednesday evening that the criticism was based on a misunderstanding.
The speed limit applies only to others using pavements, he said, not to people on foot.
The amendment, passed by a parliamentary majority on Tuesday, for the first time defines a "walking speed" of 6 kilometres per hour and sets it as the speed limit for anyone allowed to use pavements under certain conditions.
Vážny said the aim was to protect pedestrians by ensuring that users such as skaters, cyclists and e-scooter riders do not move significantly faster than walking pace.
In a report published on Wednesday by dpa, it stated that a new speed limit is being introduced in Slovakia for pedestrians walking on pavements in crowded areas.
The report added that under a transport law amendment passed by parliament in Bratislava on Tuesday, pedestrians strolling on pavements in urban areas must not exceed a speed of six kilometres (km) per hour, and the law would take effect on January 1.
