Hobart City Council to consider speed limit reductions across the CBD and out in the suburbs

A raft of speed limit reductions in inner city Hobart plus many of the suburbs have been proposed by the council. Find out which streets might be affected + HAVE YOUR SAY >>

HOBART City Council will consider reducing speed limits in both the suburbs plus the inner city, which would see the creation of three ‘spines’ of 30km/h in the CBD.

The council’s city infrastructure committee meeting on Wednesday will vote on a report recommending several changes to speed limits, which aim to provide a safer environment for traders, pedestrians and cyclists by making three CBD central spines of 30km/h zones surrounded by a 40km/h zone.

Busy Hobart traffic travels down Macquarie St. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Council officers have recommended the following speed limit changes be requested:

• Elizabeth St between Melville and Morrison streets (excluding the Elizabeth Mall and Macquarie and Davey streets crossing points) – 50km/h to 30km/h.
• Collins and Liverpool streets between Murray and Argyle streets – 50km/h to 30km/h.
• Melville and Bathurst streets between Harrington and Campbell streets – 50km/h to 40km/h.
• Harrington, Murray, Argyle and Campbell streets between Melville and Davey streets (excluding the Davey and Macquarie streets crossings) – 50km/h to 40km/h.
• Liverpool and Collins streets between Harrington and Murray streets, and between Argyle and Campbell streets – 50km/h to 40km/h.
• Market Place, Kemp St, Trafalgar Place, Purdys Mart, Wellington Court, Harrington Lane, Watchorn Street, Victoria St, Bidencopes Lane – 50km/h to 40km/h.

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Other proposed changes include in the suburban retail precincts between 7am and 7pm Monday to Thursday and 7am until 10pm Friday to Sunday.

These would be reductions to 40km/h in North Hobart between Burnett and Tasma streets, Lenah Valley, between Giblin St and Greenway Ave, South Hobart, from Excell Lane and the Southern Outlet Junction, plus various sections of Sandy Bay and New Town.

If the changes are approved by the council, staff will consult with stakeholders ahead of preparing a submission to the Transport Commissioner.

State Growth Department data showed since 2009 there have been 1011 crashes in the CBD, of which two were fatal.

Aldermen Tanya Denison and Simon Behrakis. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Alderman Simon Behrakis said the proposed reductions were unnecessary and would “only further throttle Hobart’s CBD”.

“The proposed speed limit reductions are completely unnecessary and will only come at the expense of commuters who are starting to come back into the city and for businesses that have already been hit extraordinarily hard by the crisis we are facing,” he said.

“We should be doing the exact opposite, looking to increase traffic flow and reduce congestion, no further constraining commuters and slowing the city down.

“This strikes me as a situation where the ‘solution’ was dreamt up long before a problem arose to justify it.

“While some on the council have long held the ideological position that cars are some great evil that must be restricted, such policies will do little to address safety concerns, and will only make life harder for people wanting to come into our city to shop or work.”

The full council is expected to vote on the matter on July 6.