During testing, buses driving near the two cities were outfitted with 30 km/hour speed limit signs which lit up when buses approached a stop.
Test results showed the signs succeeded in getting drivers to slow down.
“Drivers have reduced their speed and are getting close to the statutory 30 km/hour limit,” said Andreas Green of the Swedish Road Authority to Sveriges Radio.
In the Linköping test, drivers behind buses on roads with 50km/hour limits reduced their mean speeds from 51 km/hour to 36 km/hour.
On roads with a 70 km/hour limit, the speed of cars following buses with the flashing signs dropped to 55 km/hour, down from a mean of 69 km/hour.
“This has everything to do with safety. With lower speeds near bus stops, things are safer and more secure,” he added.
Drivers have noticed a difference too.
“Traffic calms down a bit when you’re coming to a bus stop with the 30 km/hour sign flashing,” said bus driver Margareta Wång, who participated in the Linköping trial, to Sveriges Radio.
“If something is flashing it can cause drivers to think a bit more and lay off the gas a little.”
Testing will continue until the summer, after which the Road Authority plans to present its findings to the government.
“The government will take a position on what they end up doing. But it’s not impossible that we end up with a 30 km/hour limit near buses,” said Green.