The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate is to extend 40km/h speed limits into business precincts as a way of making the areas safer.
Minister for Transport and City Services, Chris Steel said that as Canberra’s business precincts continued to change, it was important to make sure pedestrians, residents and active travel users were able to move freely and safely.
“As Canberra has grown, more streets have evolved to be not only places to move through, but also places for people to stop and spend time,” Mr Steel said.
“The speed limit in these areas needs to reflect this functional evolution,” he said.
“For example, the City and Braddon have changed remarkably in the past decade to become hubs for dining, cultural events, residents and public transport, with large numbers of people crossing the road to access the Alinga Street Station.”
Mr Steel said the reduction of speed limits in areas like the city centre, town, group and local centres would make roads safer and support a friendlier environment for people to walk, cycle and catch public transport.
He said the announcement built on the implementation of 40 km/h speed limit precincts in all ACT town centres in 2013 and all group centres in 2015.
He said the reduced speed limits zones would soon include sections of Barry Drive; Cooyong Street; Northbourne Avenue between McKay Street to Vernon Circle; a large section of the Braddon commercial precinct; Anketell Street from Athllon Drive to Pitman Street; a section of Reed Street; Eileen Good Street; and Cowlishaw Street.
