Divided support for Charles Sturt Council’s widespread 40km/h zones
They have been part of the area for almost a decade. But it seems some western residents just don’t like 40km/h zones.
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Just over half the Charles Sturt Council residents who responded to a survey on the 40km/h zones that are widespread across the district do not support them.
The council employed a consultant to survey every resident and business in the 18 suburbs that have had a 40km/h speed limit introduced since 2012.
They were asked to provide feedback on the lower speed limit and road safety.
Just under 10 per cent of the residents who received a survey responded.
Of these, 55 per cent said they did not support the 40km/h areas, and wanted the speed limit returned to 50km/h.
“Residents feel that the speed limits are confusing, ignored, inconvenient, revenue raising,
increase road rage and add too much time to their trips, and that they don’t improve
amenity, safety for all road users or reduce the chance of crashes,” a council report said.
It said the level of support varied greatly between suburbs, with those closest to the city more supportive than those between Allenby Gardens/Woodville Park and the coast.
“Most residents who are against the 40 areas do not agree that drivers travel too fast, or
that they don’t look out for pedestrians or cyclists on their streets,” the report said.
“Most residents who are in support are those who perceive driving behaviour to be an
issue on their local street.”
Just over half the streets in the council district have a 40km/h speed limit.
“Council initially embarked on this program of reducing speed limits to improve road safety on its local streets, by providing a more forgiving road environment,” the council report said.
The council also had the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Reserve study the effectiveness of the lower speed limits, based on crash and traffic data.
It looked at before and after data from 15 suburbs that have had a 40km/h speed limit in place for more than 12 months.
That review found that driver speeds had decreased as expected, and would continue to drop.
“Volumes and crashes have also decreased however there is not enough data for these reductions to be statistically significant,” the council report said.
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The review was undertaken by the council to help it make informed decisions relating to current and future 40km/h areas.
Meanwhile, DPTI is preparing a State Road Safety Strategy, which will include speed management.
The council agreed at its last meeting to make no significant changes to its existing 40km/h areas at this time, but that further reports be made to the council at key stages of the development of DPTI’s strategy.