This week, the Federal District Court ordered the reduction of the maximum speed on the Eixão, in the center of Brasília, from 80 km/h to 60 km/h.
The decision, signed by judge Carlos Frederico Maroja de Medeiros, from the Environmental Court of the Federal District Court of Justice, was released on Wednesday (11) and provides 180 days for implementation.
Among the studies cited in the decision are works by professor at the University of Brasília (UnB) Paulo César Marques da Silva, a specialist in traffic engineering.
To g1, Paulo César said that the measure can reduce the risk and severity of pedestrian collisions on the road.
The expert argues that Eixão should be treated as an urban road because it is located within the urban perimeter and is part of the city's structure.
Currently, the speed limit in Eixão is 80 km/h. For the expert, however, the definition of speed must consider not only the circulation of vehicles, but also coexistence with pedestrians and cyclists and the integration between the two Wings of the Plano Piloto.
"It [the decision] is fundamental to ensuring that the Eixão is a road that integrates the city, and not that it segregates a significant portion of the population. The Eixão deserves to be treated as a road that integrates the fabric of the city", he states.
The court decision determines that the speed reduction be implemented within 60 days.
The government will also have six months to prepare a broader project for Eixão, according to the professor, which includes pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities and goes through public hearings.
What does the legislation say?⁉️
The Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB) establishes a maximum limit of 80 km/h for rapid transit routes when there is no regulatory signage. On arterial roads, the limit is 60 km/h, also in the absence of specific signage.
🛣️ The Brasília Road Axis, or Eixão, is one of the main roads that cross the federal capital.
🛣️ The avenue crosses Asa Norte and Asa Sul, and is the main access route to Lago Norte, Granja do Torto and Brasília International Airport, for example.
Speed and risk of being run over
The speed of vehicles has a direct influence on both the risk of being run over and the severity of collisions.
According to Paulo César, reducing the limit also helps to counter the idea that lower speeds necessarily reduce road capacity or cause congestion.
"In fact, it's exactly the opposite. High speed is only possible when there are low flows, low volumes. I mean, speed is an exclusionary element", he states.
The teacher explains that:
After noticing a pedestrian or obstacle, a driver takes about two seconds to react.
During this interval, the vehicle continues traveling along the road at practically the same speed.
Only then does braking actually begin.
According to the study by professor Paulo Cesar Marques da Silva, reducing the maximum speed to 60 km/h:
it would reduce the danger, by giving drivers greater control of the vehicles and reducing the force of the impact in possible accidents;
it would increase, by around five minutes, the time taken to cross the Eixão from one end to the other;
it would allow more cars to occupy the Aixão at the same time, by reducing the safety distance (gap) between one vehicle and another;
it would make it safer to use bicycles on the road, which is currently hampered by high speeds.
In a simulation presented by the expert at a public hearing, the difference in speed can determine whether or not the driver will be able to stop before hitting a pedestrian.
If a person is within 30 meters of the vehicle:
➡️at 60 km/h, the car travels around 33.3 meters during the two seconds of reaction alone. In this scenario, you would hit the pedestrian before you even started braking;
➡️at 50 km/h, the vehicle would still hit the pedestrian, according to the simulation;
➡️at 40 km/h, there would be enough distance for the driver to react and stop before the collision;
➡️at 30 km/h, the vehicle travels approximately 16.7 meters during the reaction and manages to stop completely in approximately 24.4 meters.
Data cited by the expert, attributed to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), also indicate that a 5% reduction in average speed could represent a 30% drop in fatal accidents.
In the professor's assessment, the reduction from 80 km/h to 60 km/h would increase safety, especially for pedestrians, while the impact on drivers' travel time would be small.
According to him, even for those who travel along the Eixão from one end to the other, the difference would be less than four minutes.
"Reducing the speed from 80 to 60 km/h means a very small, insignificant increase in travel time. And, traveling from end to end of the Eixão, the increase in time is only less than four minutes, which is nothing, if we compare it to the lives that are saved", says Paulo.
For Paulo César, the change also needs to be accompanied by measures that increase accessibility and allow the safe movement of different users throughout the region.
"It's a measure to tame traffic and bring safety to people", says the professor.
Government of DF will appeal
Governor Celina Leão stated that the government will appeal the court decision. The government of the Federal District (GDF) maintains that it has technical studies that justify maintaining the maximum speed of 80 km/h on the Eixão.
Technical note prepared by the DF DER states that the change in speed would not bring effective changes in safety.
"We understand that crossing at Eixão Rodoviário exposes pedestrians to a high risk both at speeds of 80 km/h and 60 km/h, that is, reducing speed does not offer an advantage in relation to the existing situation", says the text.
The department also highlights the road characteristics of the Eixão, foreseen in Lúcio Costa's plan, and stated that the fluidity of the highway depends on maintaining speed.
For DER, in addition to not reducing fatalities from possible traffic accidents, it would increase the density of vehicles in the area. The increase, according to the department, would make it even more difficult for pedestrians to cross.
In Paulo César's assessment, studies by the bodies responsible for managing the road, including the Department of Highways (DER-DF), prioritize aspects linked to the fluidity of traffic and road operations.
The professor assesses that the analysis needs to more broadly incorporate the perspective of urban mobility, especially pedestrian safety and the integration of Eixão with the surrounding areas.
For him, therefore, the reduction to 60 km/h should be understood as a first stage of a broader change in the relationship between the road and the city.
"Reducing speed on the Eixão is just the first part of the GDF's obligations, in accordance with this court decision. The decision is that the government has six months to develop a broad project to humanize the Eixão in a universal way. That is, including pedestrians, cyclists, people with disabilities, for example, and all of this going through public hearings that need to be called", says the expert.
Aerial view of Eixão Norte, in Basília — Photo: TV Globo/Reproduction
Safety in underground passages
The Court's decision also foresees that the GDF will prepare, within six months, a broader project to requalify the road, with measures aimed at pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities.
Insecurity in underground passages is one of the concerns of those who need to cross the Eixão. In July 2025, the DF Military Police recognized security problems at these accesses.
Now, the government wants to expand the monitoring of underground passages. The Public Security Secretariat (SSP-DF) said it will install cameras at all road crossings by the end of 2027.
In total, Eixão has 16 underground passages, but only five are currently monitored.
According to the folder, each of them has four cameras, totaling 20 pieces of equipment. The plan is to expand the system to other tickets over the next 12 months.
According to the SSP, since the equipment began operating in November 2025, there has been a 20% reduction in the number of thefts and robberies of pedestrians at monitored crossings.
What does the Public Ministry say?
Author of the public civil action, the DF Public Ministry states that the protection of the most vulnerable, pedestrians, must be a priority.
The MP criticizes what he called the omission of public authorities to ensure the crossing, which "puts the lives and physical integrity of pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities at risk".
"Until effective solutions for crossing the “Eixão” and “Eixinhos” are implemented, it is certain that many people will continue to prefer to take risks between cars to cross these roads, in order to escape the dangers that await them in the underground passages", he states.
➡️ Civil Police report counted 20 deaths and 244 people injured in accidents in Eixão between 2022 and 2025.
➡️ In the same period, there were 233 incidents on pedestrian walkways, including robberies, homicides and rape.
The request also cites the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, which recommends a limit of 50km/ on urban roads.
With the reduction, the speed of the Eixão will be the same as the Eixinhos, roads to the east and west of the larger highway.
"It is worth highlighting that the reduction/readjustment of the speed limit is a fundamental traffic safety measure, effective not only for pedestrians and cyclists, but also for drivers. In the event of a collision between drivers or with a fixed object (pole or tree, for example), the risk of serious injury or death is also drastically reduced with the reduced speed limit. Not to mention the greater response and braking time at a speed of 60 km/h, compared to the current limit of 80 km/h", says the MP.
See details of the action by the DF Public Ministry in the video below, from 2024:
What does the decision say?
"It should be noted: almost all deaths in Eixão are entirely predictable, probable occurrences and could be avoided with the relatively simple and cheap measures proposed by the [Public Ministry]", says the magistrate.
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