News / Road Safety
30kmh speed limit planned for Lygon Street
Proponents say lower car speeds would reduce the high rate of pedestrian injuries
Mark Phillips
THE speed limit along the popular Lygon Street dining strip in Brunswick East could be reduced to 30kmh after Merri-bek Council voted to go ahead with a trial.
Lygon Street is one of the most dangerous roads in Merri-bek, with close to one in every 10 serious pedestrian injuries occurring there.
A lower speed limit of 40kmh between 7am and midnight has been in place for some time, but a further reduction would make Lygon Street the first major road in Merri-bek to be capped at just 30kmh.
While the council last Wednesday night endorsed further action towards trialling a 30kmh limit, to implement it will require special approval from the state government. Any change would also need to be negotiated with Yarra Trams, which runs two routes along Lygon Street.
Similar trials of 30kmh are underway in Smith Street and Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, and one is planned for Chapel Street in South Yarra and Prahran.
The proposed trial follows a community forum about Lygon Street held by the Brunswick Residents Network last July that discussed a range of concerns including traffic and road safety.
A report from that forum and a follow-up survey made a series of recommendations about traffic and transport, amenity and attractiveness, including graffiti. It was also critical of the council for poor communication with local residents and traders.
In response, the council commissioned its own report into road safety issues on Lygon Street which was tabled last Wednesday.
Two key outcomes will be to advocate for accessible tram stops in Lygon Street and for a lower speed limit trial.
The council’s director of infrastructure, Anita Curnow, said road safety on Lygon St ws a serious issue and crash data over the past five years indicated it was a crash hot spot in Merri-bek.
She said speed limit changes on their own have a limited impact on real vehicle speeds, but when combined with additional streetscape improvements and traffic calming treatments, they can lead to lower vehicle speeds and improvements in road safety.
Brunswick resident Andrea Bunting, the convenor of Walk on Merri-bek, an advocacy group for pedestrian safety, amenity and infrastructure, said the high level of pedestrian injuries in Lygon Street meant it was the ideal location for a 30kmh trial.
She said a review of serious night-time pedestrian injuries in 20 major dining strips in Melbourne found Lygon Street to be the equal second worst after Lonsdale Street in the city.
Nine per cent of all serious pedestrian injuries in Merri-bek over a five year period were in Lygon Street, and there was a fatality there in 2013. An equivalent length of Sydney Road accounted for just 1% of serious injuries.
The majority of Lygon Street’s serious injuries took place at night.
The strip is also an accident hotspot for cyclists and motorcyclists.
“There is clear evidence that a pedestrian hit at 30 kmh has a much reduced chance of death or serious injury,” Bunting said.
“Lower speed limits also give time for motor vehicles to brake and possibly avoid colliding with a pedestrian.”
Bunting said that with most pedestrian crashes occurring in the evening when restaurants and bars are busiest and some are open until after midnight, a 30kmh limit should be extended to 24 hours.
The council has also adopted a request from Walk On Merri-bek to discuss with Citipower whether brighter street lighting can be installed as another safety measure in Lygon Street.
This story was edited to clarify that Lygon Street is equal second for serious night-time pedestrian injuries, not pedestrian injuries overall.
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