Chapel St between Toorak and Dandenong roads will be cut to 30km/h speed limit in trial

A reduced speed limit will be applied on the iconic street as part of a road safety trial, with one councillor saying “the safety of our community is more important than a few seconds saved on a journey”.

The Chapel St 30km/h trial will run for 18 months and be continually evaluated based on community feedback, Stonnington Council said.

Parts of iconic Chapel Street will be reduced to 30km/h under a plan from Stonnington City Council.

As part of the plan, Chapel St between Toorak and Dandenong roads will be given the new speed limit for an 18-month trial.

“The recommended ­30km/h speed limits are all on a trial basis, will run for 18 months and be continually evaluated based on community feedback, safety data, and traffic analysis,” a council report into the matter stated.

Councillor Kate Hely said crashes between a car and a cyclist or pedestrian were ­significantly more likely to end in a fatality if the speed was above 30km/h.

“A moment of distraction shouldn’t result in a death sentence,” she said.

“We are looking at building a road system that is forgiving for those inevitable human ­errors. The safety of our community is more important than a few seconds saved on a journey.”

A number of other streets around Windsor Primary, Toorak Primary and Armadale Primary schools will also be reduced to 30km/h.

The road safety plan was passed by Stonnington ­Council at its meeting on Monday night.