Widespread belief about speed limits on Aussie roads busted: 'People don't realise'

Yahoo

15-03-2025

When Australian councils announce they're considering lowering speed limits in areas with high pedestrian activity, there's often immediate backlash from the public.
Many people, while agreeing more needs to be done to minimise road trauma, argue it shouldn't come at the cost of increasing congestion, which they say can happen as a result of lower speeds.
In recent times, numerous local governments across the country have reduced limits in areas popular with pedestrians, cyclists and children, in a bid to increase safety. The City of Yarra council in Melbourne, for example, reduced local limits to 30 kilometres per hour, around several popular suburbs including Fitzroy and Collingwood, just this month.
With the country's population steadily growing, some say slower speeds will simply add to the problem. But according to Dr Ingrid Johnston, CEO of the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), that simply isn't the case.
Speaking to Yahoo, Johnston debunked this common misconception and reiterated the fact that the lower speeds mean higher chances of survival in crashes.
"We know very clearly that to avoid people being killed or seriously injured in a crash, or better still, to avoid the crash happening in the first place, you need to be controlling the amount of energy which is in that crash," she said.
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"We know that if a vehicle collides with the pedestrian, then if that vehicle is going at any more than about 30 kilometres per hour, that pedestrian's chances of survival plummet. And actually, if you've got reasonably heavy traffic, and if you slow that traffic down, it can travel more smoothly overall — and that's actually more efficient."
Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Dr Jonathan Spear cited the fact that a pedestrian struck by a car travelling at 50km/h has an 85 per cent chance of dying. However, at 30km/h, the risk drops to 10 per cent, he said.
According to Transport Accident Commission data, 48 pedestrians and 12 cyclists lost their lives in road accidents in the state last year — grim figures mirrored all over the country. Older people continue to face a higher risk of fatal traffic accidents, while road trauma remains a leading cause of death for children aged one to 14.
Slowing down traffic can reduce stop-and-go driving, which in turn minimises fuel consumption and emissions. It also ensures vehicles move at a steady, consistent pace, making the journey safer and reducing wear and tear on both vehicles and road infrastructure.
While it may seem counterproductive, Johnston pointed out that this approach actually leads to faster travel times overall. "When you look at the difference in travel times, it's usually only a matter of seconds—something that isn't consequential, but it feels counterintuitive, so people don't realise the benefits," she said.
Johnston emphasised that across the country, people of all ages walk to school, parks, shops, and bike to work, creating a mix of traffic. In these areas, it's essential to prioritise safety for everyone, not just drivers. "We've built our system on cars," she said.
"In new suburbs, roads are the first thing to be constructed — if you're lucky, there might be footpaths, but rarely bike paths, bus stops, or train stations. We design for cars, and that's what we need to stop doing, because we don't only and always travel in them."
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