Sweeping speed limit changes proposed for Unley council area
Unley Council has proposed cutting the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h on 10 significant local roads.
The proposal, which needs approval from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), would see the whole of King William Road go to 40km/h, expanding the current 40 area which stretches roughly 750-metres along the road’s high street precinct.
The other roads in line for a 40km/h speed limit are Leader Street, East Avenue, Victoria Avenue, Northgate Street, Fisher Street, Wattle Street, Ferguson Street, and, significantly, Duthy Street and George Street, which run for 2.8km from Malvern up to Parkside.
There have been 164 crashes across these 10 roads between 2018 and 2022, according to a council analysis of state government data, with the council arguing the lower speed limits will give drivers greater reaction times to avoid crashes.
At a special meeting on Monday, Unley councillors voted to apply to DIT for the speed limit cuts and allocate $30,000 from council’s 2024/25 budget towards implementing the changes, including the purchase of new speed signs.
The council expects to file its application by mid-2025.
If successful, the changes would see almost all of the City of Unley become a low-speed area.
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The inner-city council has been one of the foremost local government advocates for lower speed limits, with all its local streets at 40km/h since 1999.
Earlier this year, DIT approved a council push to lower the speed limit on a portion of Unley Road from 60km/h to 50km/h. It is also considering a proposal to do the same on Glen Osmond Road.
The 10 roads proposed for 40km/h limits are classed as “local collector roads” servicing 3000 to 7000 vehicles per day and “major collector roads” servicing 7000 to 15,000.
More than 1400 homes are on these roads, making up roughly 80 per cent of the street frontage.
In a series of reports prepared for councillors, the council administration said the new speed limit cuts would “[reduce] the level of ‘rat running’” and ensure “consistency in speed limits within the Council area, reducing confusion on which streets are 40 km/h and which are 50km/h”.
The administration also argued the changes would improve “amenity and liveability of all streets within the City through reduced vehicle noise, reduced air pollution and calmer traffic movements”.
“It is acknowledged that the adoption of speed limits in Australia historically has been more focussed on the movement function of a road, without much consideration given to its role as a destination, where people gather and where they access their homes and businesses,” the council report said.
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“In urban areas, there is a desire to create liveable neighbourhoods enjoyed by people, where the safety and amenity needs of pedestrians and cyclists is a priority.
“In addition, there is generally greater recognition now across the community that speed limits are one of the key drivers affecting residential amenity, community vitality, commercial viability and most importantly safety.”
Perhaps the most significant of the proposed speed limits cuts is Duthy and George Street, which runs for 2.8km between Cross and Greenhill Road.
Moving from 50km/h to 40km/h would increase travel times along that road by 50 seconds, according to a “theoretical assessment” conducted by the RAA.
That study also found a 15 second increase in travel time for motorists travelling along King William Road between Grace Street and Greenhill Road.
But the council also found that the average speeds along the 10 roads targeted for cuts rarely reach 50km/h.
The average speed on the “local collector roads” – Ferguson, Wattle and Fisher Street – is between 42.6km/h and 43.4km/h.
The average speed on the “major collector roads” – King William Road, George, Duthy, Northgate and Leader Street and Victoria and East Avenue – is between 35km/h and 45km/h.
“This data indicates that on Council’s main collector roads (i.e. local and major), most vehicles already travel at a lower average speed than the default speed limit of 50km/h,” the council said.
Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson, a cyclist and advocate for active transport, said the lower speed limits would be “a win for everyone”.
“Of course, there may be some motorists who object, and suggest that commuting times will increase, but recent research suggests that the impact on travel time will be minimal, with slower times occurring due to traffic signal delays and right-turn queueing at non-signalised intersections, rather than because of the posted speed limit,” he said.
“I also note that Sydney is considering extending 40km/h limits on many roads to address their road transport issues, while Melbourne is implementing speed limits of 30km/h.
“The City of Unley was the first council in Australia to introduce lowered speed limits across an entire city in 1999, and we continue to be a leader in best practice traffic management, setting the standards for others to follow.”
A spokesperson for DIT said: “We have yet to receive City of Unley’s request to reduce the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h on collector roads but look forward to discussing the proposal with them further.”
