Push to reduce ACT school zone speed limit to 30kph

Australia Broadcast Center

14 hours ago

Just like countless young families across the ACT, Veronica Fortune and her children love walking to school most days.
But there are dangers.
The biggest one is the volume of traffic at pick-up and drop-off times.
Parents, public servants, tradies and teenagers all drive, jam and jostle through the bumper-to-bumper snarl. And just like every road, some motorists don't care about the laws.
"I've had a near-miss myself … thankfully, I had my sons in a pram at that time and my daughter was standing right next to me," she said.
Veronica said the road past her local school is an accident waiting to happen.
She's written to members of the ACT Legislative Assembly and submitted a petition about safety improvements that can be made.
"Speed bumps are not close enough to the crossing and we may need more of them. A wombat crossing [raised zebra crossing] … would really help because it would force cars to slow down right before they got to where children are."
Veronica has also pushed for adjustments to the surrounding roads, but so far, nothing has changed.
The key improvement, according to new research focused on the ACT by a University of Adelaide team, would be to change the rules that govern school zones.
Dr James Thompson is a road safety expert based at the Centre for Automotive Safety Research who led the research.
He said reducing everyone's speed was crucial, and that 30kph was the tipping point.
"But if you're hit under 30 kilometres, you have a pretty good chance of surviving."
The evidence the team collected points to a clear recommendation — that the speed limit in ACT school zones should be 30kph or less.
South Australia is the only state or territory in Australia that has a sub-40kph school zone limit (25kph) with that being standard practice there for decades.
He was surprised during the work by his team at just how many motorists sped through school zones across the ACT, especially during "active" school zone times (36 per cent) and when the default road speed limit was 60kph (50 per cent).
Along with installing "traffic calming measures" such as speed bumps and narrower lane widths in all school zones, the report recommends extending the school zone time limits in the ACT.
This would mean 7am-5pm Monday to Friday (replacing the ACT's existing 8.30am to 4pm) to protect children at pre- and post-school care, lunchtime and other extracurricular activities such as sport.
Dr Thompson acknowledged these would be big shifts, but is unequivocal these moves must be made.
"You know, when are we going to start taking the safety of school children seriously?" he asked.
The ABC has spoken with several school communities, and they all say speeding traffic in and around schools is a constant danger for pedestrians.
The risk is exacerbated by many schools being surrounded by 60 and 80kph roads.
Earlier this year, the principal of St Clare's College Dr Ann Cleary led a months-long consultation asking families about road and pedestrian risks that surround St Clare's, with over 200 families making a submission.
"That's a huge response, which first tells me parents are really taken by the topic" she said.
St Clare's is next to St Edmunds College, which faced near-tragedy earlier this year when two students were seriously injured by a speeding driver while they were walking to school.
Both colleges are located next to several roads that pose significant risks to pedestrians.
The concerns reported in St Clare's survey were numerous, but those that repeatedly came up the surrounding 60kph roads, bus drop-off/pick-up areas and other hazards within the designated school zone.
Dr Cleary believes families would support a 30kph school zone speed limit and extended school zone times, but that the 60kph roads immediately around St Clare's need to be reviewed too.
Dr Cleary cited the University of Adelaide research that found "the higher the speed limit outside of school zone times or places, the more likely cars are to speed through the school zone".
She also highlighted the need for flashing or electronic signs, to stand out from what she described a "white noise" of road markings and symbols in the area.
The ACT government wasn't available for an interview to discuss the likelihood of changing school zone speeds and times (as well as other recommendations in the University of Adelaide report).
In a statement, a spokesperson said the "ACT government welcomes the outcomes of the research and will consider future actions as part of the current development of the next ACT Road Safety Strategy".
Change can't come soon enough for the people who prioritise children's safety.
Dr James Thompson is convinced that ACT residents, and those in other jurisdictions, are ready and willing.
"If you explain to them what's at risk and what can be gained by improving the safety of school zones, they would absolutely get on board with it. So it's a funny thing … that we haven't had that change in all the other jurisdictions."
Veronica Fortune's desire for change is driven by a simple hope.