Controversial changes to reduce speed limits on residential Melbourne streets to 30km/h have been supported by a study from a major university.
Trials of rule changes that allowed local councils to change the speed limits in residential areas from 50km/h lasted for seven years and have only now been allowed on a wider basis by the Victorian government.
The changes are designed to increase the safety for pedestrians and cyclists, a finding now supported by a study by RMIT University.
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Modelling by the university's Centre for Urban Research showed cyclists' exposure to roads with high levels of traffic stress dropped by 30 per cent when the speed limit was reduced from 50km/h to 30km/h.
This corroborates findings by Transport Victoria, which says the chances of a pedestrian surviving being hit by a car travelling at 50km/h are as low as 10 per cent.
The RMIT study claims that while 30km/h may seem like a slow speed that would cause frustration and even gridlock in Australia's second biggest city, the modelling suggests it will not have a significant impact on drivers.
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"Most trips should use residential streets only at the start and finish, so 30km/h rather than 50km/h on those short sections makes little difference," Dr Afshin Jafari said.
"Slowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport."
Jafari said reducing speed limits was a cheap and easy way to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians, whilst not majorly inconveniencing drivers.
"Slowing down vehicles is a cheap and effective way to improve safety while we wait for longer-term infrastructure upgrades," he said.
"This should also create safer streets for our kids."
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