Prospect Council asking for green light to drop speed limit on local roads to 40km/h
Prospect Council is set to become the next local government area to drop the speed limit on all local roads to 40km/h.
City
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PROSPECT is set to become the second metropolitan council to introduce a blanket 40km/h speed limit on local roads.
The council voted at its last meeting to ask the Transport Department for approval to drop the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h on local government roads.
A council report said this was aimed at stopping leadfoot drivers cutting through suburban streets, reducing crashes and minimising the need for traffic-calming measures.
Prospect Mayor David O’Loughlin welcomed the decision.
“This is a worthy move because we have spent far too much money on speed humps, lumps and bumps that people universally hate,” Mr O’Loughlin said.
“It is time for consistency … and it is possible that if this works, council may elect to remove some of these humps, lumps and bumps over time.”
Unley Council has a citywide 40km/h speed limit on local roads, while parts of Charles Sturt, Mitcham and Norwood, Payneham & St Peters councils have adopted the lower limit.
Community consultation by Prospect Council found just over half of the 2677 people who responded supported lowering the speed limit.
If approved, it would cost the council about $35,000 to update speed limit signs.
Latest Transport Department data showed there were 289 car crashes across the Prospect area in 2018, up slightly from 279 accidents the previous year.
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Prospect Residents Association president Elizabeth Crisp said the lower speed limit would improve safety.
“They (council) spoke about the fact that if you get hit by a car at 40km/h, your injuries will be less significant than what they would be at 50km/h,” Ms Crisp said.
The Transport Department was contacted for comment.