Yarra City Council Extends 30km/h Speed Limit

22 May

“The Melbourne suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood now have a 30km/h speed limit across all residential streets. See why this change is great news for all people using these streets along with a report from local safe streets advocacy group Streets Alive Yarra and general explainer video on the importance of low vehicle speeds on residential streets. ”

We are delighted to see that the Yarra City Council has approved an extension of the area to which its 30km/h speed limit applies, to cover all the streets within the boundaries of the Melbourne suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood (apart from the Johnston Street arterial) [1].

Fitzroy and Collingwood are relatively densely populated inner city suburbs (with 19,610 residents), just 3 kilometres from Melbourne’s Central Business District. Around 28% of households across the two suburbs do not own a car (compared with 8.5% for Greater Melbourne) [2] indicating a very high reliance on walking and cycling in the area.

Streets Alive Yarra, a local safe streets advocacy group (and Better Streets coalition member) has led the campaign for a street-friendly reduction in the speed limit. Founder and president Jeremy Lawrence said:

“ the reduced speed limit is the lowest cost measure for maximum possible safety access...benefitting people of all ages and abilities; kids, seniors, parents with prams [4]”

— Jeremy Lawrence

A review of road crash data for the five years leading up to 2018 and the five years since, shows a 51 per cent reduction in all crashes and a 70 per cent reduction in serious crashes. [3].

Streets Alive Yarra has produced the following informational video on the change:

The improved safety outcomes of the the City of Yarra trial reflects the overwhelming evidence from health and safety authority research, and the experience of cities around the world, including Toronto (Canada), Bogota (Columbia) and London (UK) [5].

Lower vehicle speeds on residential streets are not just about fewer crashes. Lower speeds support the use of the street for people of all ages and abilities to walk, to ride, to socialise, to gather at local businesses. For Better Streets, the 30km/h limit is a vital step to getting kids active, boosting local business, and providing transport choices.

If you want people-friendly speed limits in your local streets:

write to your local councillors and state government representative. For assistance, see Resources on the Better Streets website.
Join one of the Better Streets coalition members (see the list at the bottom of the Better Streets home page)
Tell your family and friends. The following video is an excellent explainer for why 30km/h is being adopted around the world as the default speed for local streets and urban centres.