Two Normandy departments set to reduce 90 km/h speed limits to 80 km/h

Dozens of roads in Normandy will have speed limits returned to 80 km/h after a court ruled the current 90 km/h limits were improperly implemented

From June 15, 2026, all 90 km/h departmental or secondary roads in the Orne and Calvados departments will be affected. 

This is the equivalent of just under 2,500km of roads across the two departments.

The ruling, made by the Caen administrative court, came after an appeal over the heightened speed limits from road safety organisation Ligue contre la violence routière. 

It was based “on procedural grounds related to the accident reports [for the risk of collisions on roads with a higher limit],” said the Calvados departmental council. 

The initial decisions taken in 2023 to increase limits to 90 km/h were found to contain a “disregard for the right to life, health, and a healthy environment, as well as the principle of non-regression in safety matters,” said the court in a report on the matter.

The ruling was not based on any fatalities or accidents on roads with higher speed limits, but rather on how the decision had been implemented.

While both departments are open to lodging appeals at a national level, which may overturn the Caen court’s decision, they will still need to comply with the June 15 switch.

If any appeals are successful, it would mean speed limits on certain roads have changed four times since 2018.

It comes even as nearby Eure recently increased speeds on certain departmental roads to 90km/h.

Confusion over speed limits

Drivers in France will be familiar with the ongoing changes over departmental road speed limits. 

Previously set to 90 km/h in all departments, a rule change in 2018 led to a blanket reduction in speeds on these roads to 80 km/h, to improve road safety.

Following strong opposition, the government reached a compromise and gave departments the authority to re-implement the higher 90 km/h speed limit on roads.

This could only be done following a vote by the departmental council, along with safety assessments of all roads where the original higher speed limits were to be reintroduced.

As of April 2026, more than half of France’s departments have reverted some or all roads back to the higher 90 km/h speed limit. 

Our map here shows the current speed limits (the changes in Normandy are not represented as they are yet to officially come into force).

As we explain in the article above, drivers who are unaware of the limit in their area should be cautious and drive at 80 km/h, to avoid potential speeding. 

Will decisions be overturned across the country?

The decision from the Caen administrative court has both local and national implications.

The Orne and Calvados departments must now fund the reversal, updating roadsigns and speed cameras in the area, as well as other local information.

GPS apps such as Waze and Google Maps will also need to be updated with the changes.

Despite the 2019 laws allowing departments to implement their own speed limits, the ability of an administrative court to unilaterally overrule the changes throws into question the autonomy of councils.

More than 70 decrees surrounding speed limits in Orne were overturned by the Caen court, covering around 35% of all eligible roads.

More broadly, it indicates dozens of departments could potentially have changes imposed by courts, along with lengthy legal disputes that further confuse drivers

Those opposed to higher speeds may be encouraged by the decision and submit their own appeals.

The Ligue contre la violence routière highlighted a similar decision brought to the courts in Toulouse in March 2026, which overturned speed limit increases on a 12km-stretch of road on the RD 213 in Hérault.

“For the first time, an administrative court of appeal officially confirmed the scientific link between increased speed and the rise in the number of road fatalities,” it said in a press release on the Toulouse and Caen decisions.

The Ligue was heavily in favour of the original speed reduction on all eligible roads to 80 km/h, and has consistently opposed the ability for local authorities to revert to the 90 km/h limit. 

It said it “hopes that other departments that have reverted to 90 km/h will reinstate the 80 km/h limit, thereby jointly fulfilling their duty to ensure safety and responding to the demand of the vast majority of French citizens for harmonized speed limits.” 

However, it did not indicate that it would appeal all reversions across France.

“Contrary to popular belief, only four departments indicate that they have fully returned to 90 km/h and it is 75 departments, the vast majority, that have retained 80 km/h on 90% or more of their secondary network,” it said.