FAQs

This project, as part of a wider Perth Inner City Group (PICG) project, proposes to create a slower inner-city neighbourhood precinct across five local governments (in addition to the City of Vincent) and a total of approximately 62km2. The geographical area includes local streets within the City of Perth, South Perth, Subiaco, the Town of Victoria Park, and a portion of the Town of Cambridge. These areas have been identified based on what is needed to be meaningful for community and road users for change, and to best support engagement and education on a mass scale. The scope of 40km/h relates to on local roads only (residential streets), with main roads or distributor roads being considered by Main Roads WA (MRWA) only by exception.

Local streets are where people live, children play and local residents carry out everyday tasks, like walking the dog, going for a run, walking to and from school or the local shops. As such, making these places as safe as possible for people to live and enjoy by reducing traffic speed is a key. 

The current speed limit on local streets is 50km/h (the default built up area speed). Reducing this to a posted 40km/h speed limit will reduce traffic speed and, should a crash occur between a car and a person walking or riding, the person walking or riding will have a better chance of surviving the crash and not being seriously injured. 

30km/h is widely considered as the key threshold speed and the aim to reduce the likelihood of people walking or riding being killed in the event of a crash with a vehicle. However, it is considered that adopting 40km/h for all local streets is a crucial step forward for Perth and will work toward reducing people killed and seriously injured on our roads and streets. For more information on speed management, the science behind safer travel speeds, and studies showcasing the benefits of safer speeds, please refer to the City of Vincent Safe Speed Trial Evaluation Report found on the PICG website here.

Research notes that local speed limits typically have a negligible effect on travel times, particularly because small variations in trip time associated with travel on local streets at the start and end of journeys are not perceptible or significant when considered in the frame of whole trips (Haworth et al. 2001).

The two case studies referenced in the City of Vincent report (The Padbury Experiment and the Australian College of Road Safety Journal article on Safer Speeds), notes that opposition to the introduction of lower speed limits in local neighbourhood streets impacting travel times is not justified, with minimal travel time reductions when travelling at a safer speed. 

Further, travel time analysis undertaken in the 40km/h trial area further demonstrates this (presented within the City of Vincent report), with only seconds difference between travelling at the existing default 50km/h and traveling at safer speeds of 30km/h and 40km/h.

Throughout the world, there is great concern that road traffic crashes kill more than 1.35 million people every year, with over 90% of these casualties occurring in low- and middle-income countries and that these collisions are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years, and that the projected up to 500 million road traffic deaths and injuries worldwide between 2020 and 2030 constitute a preventable epidemic and crisis that to avoid will require more significant political commitment, leadership and greater action at all levels in the next decade. 

Evidence from international research for safer speeds indicate that reductions in vehicle speeds on local streets may also result in reductions of traffic noise and can promote walking and riding, which have clear flow-on health, wellbeing, social, and economic benefits. The impacts of noise and air pollution resulting from traffic also reach minimal levels at a speed of 40 km/h.

Overall, the key benefits of slower speeds can result in:

• A reduction in the number of road crashes
• A reduction in the severity of road crashes
• Streets become safer for all road users, including people walking and riding
• Local government can better direct resources for road safety infrastructure
• Slower neighbourhoods support more connected communities
• A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• Only a minor impact on average travel times

The City of Perth, the City of South Perth and Town of Victoria Park provided geo located traffic speed data. This has been mapped to the local street network. This indicates that within the local street network a large proportion of streets already experience 85th percentile speeds at or below 48km/h, indicating that reducing the posted speed to 40km/h would see a reduction to operating traffic speeds over the longer term. 

There are also a number of streets (mainly within the City of South Perth and Town of Victoria Park) that experience speeds above 52km/h. These streets will also see a reduction in the 85th percentile speed following the implementation of area-wide 40km/h speed zoning. However, the reduction in speeds may not be to 40km/h. But as noted, any reduction in speed is a road safety benefit to all road users. 

There have been 1,052 casualty crashes within the inner-city area within the last five years (2019 to 2023). Casualty crashes are those crashes that resulted in either someone requiring medical treatment at the scene of the crash, or someone requiring hospitalisation or, someone who has died. Table 1 illustrates the crash rates for each local government area. 

These crashes have also been spatially mapped and presented below.

Main Roads WA are the lead agency for setting speed limits, and determine the number and placement of speed signs on all streets and roads. Once approved, Main Roads WA will work with the project team and each individual member council to plan the roll out of new signs across the Perth inner-city region. This will likely take over 12 months to implement.

There are a number of streets within the inner-city area, including the Town of Victoria Park, that currently have posted speed limits less than 40km/h. These largely being Safe Active Streets and shopping strips. There are also temporary School Zones of 40km/h. 

Safe Active Streets and shopping strips with posted speeds less than 40km/h will remain as they are. School Zones will still be signed, accompanying the 40km/h posted speed limit sign, with school zone times removed.

Local access roads are also referred to as residential streets. Currently, the scope of the '40km/h Safer Speeds' project covers all local access roads in the Town of Victoria Park. See our map below and in our helpful resources section for more detail. 

WA Police enforce the speed limits on WA Roads. Drivers are responsible for the safety of occupants of their vehicle, and other road users. We want people in the Town of Victoria Park, and everywhere, to travel safely to arrive at their destination.

The PICG is a voluntary alliance of five inner-city local governments (comprised of Perth, South Perth, Subiaco, Victoria Park, and Vincent), focused on developing and advancing their neighbourhoods and town centres for the better.

The local governments joined forces in 2019 through a Memorandum of Understanding and meet regularly to develop shared solutions.

Visit the PICG website here.

Your feedback will help inform the future of the '40km/h on local streets' project to improve road safety within the Town of Victoria Park. Currently the scope of the project covers all local access roads within the Town, however feedback may inform potential extensions to speed limit changes to other roads in the Town. Further, feedback provided will help the Town monitor community sentiment regarding speed limit changes and road safety, and respond to common questions or concerns.