Five local councils across Perth are rallying together in a push to make neighbourhood streets safer by reducing speed limits on all local residential roads from 50km/h to 40km/h.
The Perth Inner City Group which includes the Cities of Perth, Vincent, South Perth, Subiaco, and the Town of Victoria Park have been working with the WA Local Government Association, Main Roads WA and the Road Safety Commission on the speed change.
Following the City of Vincent’s successful rollout of permanent 40km/h speed zones in 2024, other councils are now considering doing the same.
Vincent is currently the only WA council to have received permanent approval from Main Roads WA to lower all local residential access road speed limits to 40km/h.
City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said that the city has already seen the benefits of the reduced speed zones.
“We’ve received really positive feedback from our residents and visitors,” she said.
Leederville resident Grace Muir has been living in the area for six years and said she has noticed a significant change in driver and pedestrian behaviour since the speed reduction was reduced.
“Since I don’t have my driver’s license I rely heavily on walking and catching public transport to get around,” she said.
“Cars would speed down roads at over 50km/h and as there are lots of bikes that use Oxford Street there would be a lot of accidents/near accidents.”
Since the reduction in speeds Ms Muir says she has become more comfortable crossing roads, knowing that cars are travelling slower.
“I also noticed that a lot less cars are running through red lights because they are travelling at lower speeds and can stop when needed.”
In a joint PIGC statement it states that slower speeds come with benefits such as less severe road crashes, which leads to safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
City of Vincent CEO and PICG Chair David MacLennan said the initiative builds on successful models already being implemented around the world.
“Major cities across the world, including in Scandinavia, United Kingdom and right here in Australia, have dropped speed limits to 40km/h on local streets,” he said.
“Slower speed is the key to making our residential roads safer. It also reduces the risk of crashes and creates better shared environments for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.”
The PICG has also welcomed support from the neighbouring Town of Cambridge, who have recently voted in support and are now advertising the proposal for community consultation.
“We’ll continue to work with our fellow councils on this important joint project to enhance road safety in the inner-city residential areas.”
City of South Perth Acting CEO Garry Adams said the city’s involvement is part of a broader commitment to community safety.
“The City of South Perth aims to improve road safety and create safer neighbourhoods by reducing the speed limit on local streets,” he said.
“This project is one of many ways we are prioritising road safety and congestion in our City.”
Mr Adams said that South Perth is also looking at additional measures to support safer streets.
“The City is also considering installing more traffic calming measures such as speed humps, crossings and improved pedestrian access via footpaths. Our focus is on improving road safety within our community.”
According to road safety data the reduction in speed from 50km/h to 40km/h leads to a 200 per cent increase in the likelihood of surviving a collision.
When hit by a car travelling at 50km/h, the chance of fatality is around 80 per cent. At 40km/h, that figure drops to 40 per cent, giving a 60 per cent chance of survival.
In 2023, 1,300 people were killed on Australian roads, nearly half of them in city areas. Of these urban death, 151 deaths occurred in 50km/h zones, compared to only 36 deaths in zones below 40km/h.
The push for speed reductions is not a brand-new initiative in Australia. In the late 1990s local speed limits were dropped from 60km/h to 50km/h on all residential local streets.
However since then, Australia’s population has grown from 19 million to 27 million, while the number of registered vehicles has increased from 12 million to 19 million, most of being in cities.
Ms Xamon has recently been given the green light by council to attend the upcoming National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra taking place in June.
She said the trip would be a great opportunity to speak with other councils and federal ministers to seek national support for this initiative.
“I will be seeking support from my other local government colleagues to ask the Australian Government to work with State and Territories to drop the speed limit on all local residential roads from 50km/h to 40km/h.”
The PICG hopes that leading the initiative successfully will prompt other Perth Cities and Town’s to follow suit making all local residential roads safer for everyone.
