Victoria's independent expert advisory body, Infrastructure Victoria has released a draft 30-year plan which includes proposed 30km/h per hour speed limits on local streets to improve safety and promote walking and cycling.
Monash University experts who have been involved with research examining the benefits of slower speed limits in local communities are available to discuss what this may mean.
Available to comment:
Dr Lauren Pearson, Research Fellow and Equity Lead within the Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research Group in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
Read more of Dr Pearson’s commentary at Monash Lens
The following can be attributed to Dr Pearson:
The need for 30km/h speed zones
“30km/h speed zones are one of the most cost-effective interventions we can use to enhance the safety and liveability of local streets. Amid a physical activity and mental health crisis, increasing road trauma rates, and a climate emergency, the need for interventions such as these to enable people to use active mobility (walking and biking) are more important than ever.
“We have seen the effect of these speed zones in places such as Wales, Canada, Scotland, Colombia and across Europe.
“In Toronto, Canada, there was a 67 per cent reduction in serious injuries following implementation of 30 km/h speed zones. Similarly in London, fatal and serious injuries dropped by 46 per cent in areas with 30 km/h speeds, with a further 8 per cent reduction in adjacent areas.
“Yet, here in Australia, we’re well behind – there are only two areas in Victoria where these have been implemented and they are only on a trial basis. We have strong and growing body of evidence for the vast benefits of these interventions, and continued calls for their implementation from not only this report from Infrastructure Victoria, but from a recent road safety parliamentary inquiry, and from the World Health Organization as well.”
Associate Professor Ben Beck, an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Head of Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
Read more of Associate Professor Beck’s commentary at Monash Lens
The following can be attributed to Associate Professor Beck:
“30km/h zones create safer, more inviting streets by reducing the risk and severity of crashes, and our research has shown that it also makes walking and cycling more accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
“In Wales, the first year of 30km/h speed zones (20mph) resulted in 100 fewer deaths and a 28 per cent reduction in the number of people seriously injured. They also observed an increase in active travel to school from 47 per cent to 74 per cent following implementation.
“We also see things like emissions reductions, noise pollution reductions, and enhanced social connectedness within communities where they are implemented.
The challenges of implementing 30km/h speed zones in Victoria
“In terms of how we implement these in Victoria, our research has shown that while there is strong support for these speed limits throughout government, the current speed policy only enables them to be implemented on a trial basis. In turn, this creates a series of ongoing challenges, as well as bureaucratic and resource-intensive approvals, often at the cost of local governments.
“A really good place to start for these kinds of interventions is around our schools, playgrounds and childcare centres. Aussie kids are among the least physically active in the world, and this is really pushed by the fact that our streets are no longer what they used to be – kids and parents do not feel that it's safe to be walking, riding, scooting to school. And 30 km/h zones are an important part of how we increase active travel to school.”
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