Unley Rd speed limit to drop from 60 to 50km/h between Park St and Greenhill Rd

Unley Rd is about to get slower – but the council claims the move will only add a few seconds to the daily commute.

Speed limits on half of Unley Rd will drop down from 60km/h to 50km/h as part of a council bid to improve safety and boost footpath trade.

The change will come into effect between Greenhill Rd and Park St on Wednesday, February 12, after it was approved last May by the state government following a request from Unley Council.

Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said it would bring the 1.5km stretch of retail businesses to a “gentler pace”, while the rest of Unley Rd will stay at 60km/h.

The speed limit on a section of Unley Rd between Greenhill Rd and Park St will drop to 50km/h. Picture: RoyVphotography

“We have got 50 on a bit of Goodwood Rd where the shops are... it makes it more pleasant and safer for people to be there, and we want that for Unley Rd too,” he said.

The speed drop would make travelling the road just seven seconds longer, according to a Department of Infrastructure and Transport study, and Mr Hewitson believed there would be no observable change during peak rush hour.

Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said the speed drop was intended to make the street more pedestrian and shopping-friendly. Picture: AAP / Roy Vandervegt

A separate council push is underway to bring 10 key side roads down from 50km/h to 40km/h, but the Transport Department is still assessing that application.

Unley MP David Pisoni welcomed the change, but said traffic light re-sequencing should be considered to move cars along more quickly, while further crossings would make the road more pedestrian-friendly.

“It’s a premier shopping strip, there are schools, it’s a hive of industry and economic development, particularly for small businesses,” Mr Pisoni said.

“Something we’ve seen post-Covid is more business activity on Unley Rd ... there are very few occasions when you can even do 60, but it’s usually at a time when the streets are activated with families and people.”

Mr Hewitson denied there was potential for the measure to worsen congestion caused by six months of roadworks on Belair Rd, which leads into Unley Rd and is one of just three arterial roads connecting the Blackwood area to the plains.

The upgrade, which began this week, will repair deteriorated retaining walls and stormwater drainage systems.

Between Windy Point Lookout and Cornish Court, traffic will only be open one-way downhill from 6am-1pm and uphill from 1pm-7pm on weekdays.

Belair Rd will be completely closed from 7pm-6am from Sunday to Thursday, with detours in place, and reduced to one lane between Friday 7pm to Sunday 7pm.

Originally published as Unley Rd speed limit to drop from 60 to 50km/h between Park St and Greenhill Rd