Speed limits slashed to 30km/h across two suburbs

A local council is rolling out a radical plan to make every street in two popular suburbs, except for major thoroughfare roads, 30km zones. Is this is the future of Aussie roads?

Two inner-city suburbs will have speed limits of just 30km/h under a two year trial from Yarra City Council.

Two inner-city Melbourne suburbs will have speed limits of just 30km/h after the state government greenlit a two year council trial in a bid to improve road safety.

Every street in Collingwood and Fitzroy, except for major thoroughfare roads, will become 30km/h zones under the radical plan by Yarra City Council.

The new limit will apply to both vehicles and trams, and will leave suburbs with 10km/h lower limits than the 40km/h school zones throughout the state.

Almost all of Fitzroy and Collingwood will be reduced to a 30km/h zone under a new Yarra City Council plan. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

Thoroughfares Johnston Street, Nicholson Street, and Hoddle Street; as well as Alexandra and Victoria Parades are state managed roads and will be exempt from the new limit.

However, Yarra City Council is pushing for a reduction on speeds on these major roads, campaigning to bring the limit down to either 40km/h or 60km/h.

The two year trial comes after the Greens-leaning council began running its own 30km/h trial in northern parts of Fitzroy and Collingwood in 2018.

The 2018 trial was designed to be a 12 month exercise, but has remained in place after the council reported a 52 per cent reduction in crashes since the new limit.

At the time, Yarra council said the trial idea was not an anti-car or revenue-raising exercise, but rather a much needed safety reprieve.

The initial trial garnered mixed reactions, some residents taking umbrage at the new limit as “anti-car.”

Yarra Residents Collective spokesperson Adam Promnitz spoke to the Herald Sun in 2023, saying it felt as though Yarra was attempting to become VicRoads.

“It’s not backed by evidence. Below 40km/h, there’s no proof that there’s any real safety benefit,” he said.

Yarra was the first council to introduce 40km/h limits in residential streets in 2006, a standard which has since been emulated across wider Melbourne.

Fresh 30km/h signs were recently erected across the two suburbs, with the new limit coming into effect on Thursday.

Originally published as Speed limits slashed to 30km/h across two suburbs