Safe streets for walking, biking and rolling
30 km/h Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (or superblocks) are blocks of streets that are calmed to 30 km/h, usually within a perimeter of VicRoads arterials. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods also include traffic filtering to block commuter through-traffic, as well as more trees and public open space. For most journeys, 30 km/h only applies to the first and last few hundred meters of travel and doesn’t appreciably add to travel times.
Benefits
30 km/h Low Traffic Neighbourhoods offer the following benefits:
- reduced rat running;
- a quieter and more enjoyable environment for walking and chatting with neighbours;
- a safer environment for children to start or finish their journeys, e.g. walking or cycling to school, sport or friends; and
- a lower cost way to make cycling safe across the whole of Yarra, with costly protected bicycle lanes limited to a core network that links Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
Opening roads to walking and cycling
30 km/h Low Traffic Neighbourhoods include modal filters to block motor-vehicle through-traffic, thus keeping it to the declared arterials on the perimeter of the neighbourhood. This ‘opens the road’ to enable safe walking and cycling.
Support from road safety experts
Road safety experts, including the Australasian College of Road Safety, wants councils to be able to declare 30 km/h speed limits on local streets.
30 km/h trial in Yarra
The City of Yarra is trialling a 30 km/h Low Traffic Neighbourhood in one area of Fitzroy and Collingwood, and has decided to expand the trial area to most all of Fitzroy and Collingwood. The expanded trial should begin in early 2024. More information is available at thanksfor30.com.au/why-30kmh.
30 km/h in other Councils
The City of Melbourne and the City of Moreland have announced that they are also planning trials. Councils in Western Australia (with the WA Department of Transport) are also testing 30 km/h streets, calling them ‘Safe Active Streets‘:
30 km/h around the world
Streets Alive Yarra is part of a global Love 30 campaign (also called 20’s Plenty in countries that use miles per hour), with other groups located in the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA.
Conclusion
30 km/h Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are a practical and low cost way to make Yarra a more beautiful, liveable and accessible city.
How you can help
You can help by appearing on the Streets Alive Yarra website as a champion for your local street, neighbourhood, or school.