This project is part of a commitment in our Council Plan 2021-25 to investigate the road safety benefits of lower speed limits for vulnerable road users.

A growing body of global evidence shows that lower speeds save lives. Research shows that a person walking or cycling has a 90 percent chance of being killed by a car driving at 50km/h, a 40 percent chance of being killed at 40km/h and only a 10 percent chance of being killed at 30km/h.

The purpose of this trial is to collect data on how a 30 km/h speed limit affects our community, including if it helps improve road safety, reduces accidents and injury and makes our streets feel safer and more liveable.

Ultimately, the goal is for the Victorian Government to support 30km/h as an option for a permanent speed limit. The data for this trial which is supported by the Department of Transport and the TAC will contribute to a body of evidence for the Victorian Government to consider when making this decision.

This location has been chosen as it is likely to have the highest road safety benefit by reducing accidents and injuries. Fitzroy and Collingwood are some of the busiest areas for people who walk, cycle and scoot in Melbourne. There is also a high number of residents who drive and visitors passing through.

The area also offers an opportunity for Council to test the speed limit against a variety of uses and activities that the first area did not. This will provide Council with valuable data on how a 30km/h speed limit change affects a greater diversity of users and infrastructure.

For example, the expanded trial area includes:

• several schools
• higher education facilities
• hospitals
• key public transport routes
• high-activity business precincts

With a broad range of different types of people using these roads for a variety of different uses, a trial in this area will help us understand a breadth of different experiences.

The expanded trial area is also adjacent to the first area. We hope this will minimise confusion for drivers moving in and out of a 30km/h speed limit area.

To ensure we have time to gather all necessary data including feedback from the community, the trial will run for up to 24 months. Council may reduce the length of the trial following the mid-trial reviews in 2025.

If the trial is successful and approved by Council, the speed limit will likely stay in place. Like the existing trial, we will maintain that speed limit and work to finalise a formal change with other government departments.

Yarra City Council is committed to improving road safety in our municipality. We know that lower speeds save lives and we want to see how implementing lower speeds benefits our community.

Implementing further 30km/h trials to improve road safety is a commitment in our Council Plan 2021-25 that we are committed to working towards.

Similar speed limits around the world have been shown to lower the risk of serious injury in road accidents.

We have undertaken research on the number of crashes that have resulted in injury in the 5 years leading up to the existing 30km trial. Our review of the Victorian Government’s road crash data shows there has been a 51 percent reduction in all crashes and a 70 percent reduction in serious crashes where the existing 30km speed limit trial applies.

Our research shows a reduction in the percentage of total and serious injury caused by crashes in the areas with 30km speed limits in Fitzroy and Collingwood compared with the rest of Fitzroy and Collingwood at 40km speed limits.

We also hope that a trial will help the community better understand the everyday impacts of a reduced speed limit and increase support for more 30km/h zones in future.

Results from the first trial showed reductions of travel speeds in the area led to safer conditions for vulnerable road users, including people who walk and cycle.

Results showed that since the first trial began there was a drastic reduction in crashes compared with the 5 years leading up to it.

Results also showed a reduction in the percentage of total and serious injury caused by crashes in the areas with 30km speed limits in Fitzroy and Collingwood compared with the rest of Fitzroy and Collingwood at 40km speed limits.

This new trial will include collection of follow-up data in the first trial area, to allow for evaluation of longer-term impacts of the first trial. We hope to see further reductions in speed over time.

In line with the Victorian Government’s Speed Zoning Policy, 30km speed limits are currently allowed only in the circumstance of a trial.

All trials, including this one, enable collection of real-world data to contribute to the growing body of evidence about the benefits of 30 km speed limits and where and how they might be applied in the future.

This will help inform policy at a state and local level on the future of 30 km zones.

We are committed to improving road safety for all road users. 30km is considered to be the safest speed limit for areas where different road users such as people who walk, cycle, ride motorbikes and drive mix. This is based on local and international research.

Yarra’s Transport Strategy 2022-32 supports walking and cycling as modes of active transport. In line with the Strategy, it's likely that 30km will be pursued for appropriate places in Yarra at some point in the future. These areas will be informed by the data within this trial.

Across Yarra around 90 percent of crashes involve pedestrians or cyclists. In Fitzroy and Collingwood 193 crashes took place on 40km local streets between 2018 and 2023. Approximately 80 percent of those involved vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.

In the interest of community safety we are investigating all types of measures, including speed limit reductions to improve road safety.

Research shows that a person walking or cycling has a 90 percent chance of being killed by a car driving at 50km, a 40 percent chance of being killed at 40km and only a 10 percent chance of being killed at 30km.

As an area with a dense mix of people who walk, cycle and ride motorbikes, Fitzroy and Collingwood are excellent candidates for reduced speed limits.

We hope the implementation of such speed limits will reduce the need for expensive and sporadic traffic calming measures.

Mildura Rural City Council has recently commenced a similar trial of 30km area-wide speed limit in the CBD of Mildura.

Other Council are also considering the introduction of 30km zones.

This trial is supported by the Department of Transport and Planning and the Transport Accident Commission to help grow a body of evidence to support policy-making on road safety initiatives and speed limits.

Feedback from the trial will help inform whether to maintain the speed limit in this area. This decision will also be informed by traffic data, road safety data and community sentiment data collected through randomised surveys.

This feedback, along with supporting data, will also inform whether Council will continue to pursue 30km speed limits in other areas of the City of Yarra.

The speed limit will be enforced the same as any other speed limit. This includes speed cameras, spot checks and highway patrol.

Reduced speed limits do not prioritise any road users over others, but they do make it safer for vulnerable road users (such as people who walk or cycle) if crashes occur.

As an area with a dense mixture of people who walk, cycle, scoot and ride motorbikes, Fitzroy and Collingwood are excellent candidates for reduced speed limits.

Our research shows there is no notable difference in the level of traffic or visitation to the northern areas of Fitzroy and Collingwood that were involved in the initial 30km trial.

Less accidents, injuries and fatalities are not just good for people who walk and cycle – they are good for people who drive too. Nobody wants to be involved in an accident.

In line with the Victorian Government’s Speed Zoning Policy, 30km speed limits are currently allowed only in the circumstance of a trial.

All trials, including this one, enable collection of real-world data to contribute to the growing body of evidence about where and how 30km might be applied in the future.

Council will work closely with Department of Transport and Planning and TAC as well as other road safety partners like Victoria Police to evaluate the expanded 30km trial. The key findings of the trial evaluation will be presented to the community at the end of the trial.

This evaluation will help inform:

• any potential future rollouts of 30km speed limits
• any potential reviews of Victorian Government's Speed Zoning Policies and Guidelines.