In a major push to cut road fatalities and improve shared street safety for all users, the Allan Government of Victoria, Australia, has allocated more than $860,000 in new grants to local councils to roll out 30-kilometer-per-hour speed limit trials across high-traffic and community-focused streets, including one of Melbourne’s most famous thoroughfares, Chapel Street.
As the latest round of investments under the state’s $28.7 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, the funding supports 100 new safety projects, bringing the total number of active initiatives under the program to more than 430. The largest single grant in this round, totaling $344,000, has gone to Merri-Bek Council to support its local speed reduction plans. Stonnington Council has received $331,000 to implement the 30km/h limit on Chapel Street, as well as nearby Ewart Street and Osborne Avenue, with an additional $64,000 allocated to expand the 30km/h trial across Melbourne’s inner southeast.
Further south, Bass Coast Council has secured $122,000 to establish new 30km/h zones across four popular coastal communities: Surf Beach, Smiths Beach, Sunset Strip and Silverleaves. The government has also approved a speed reduction proposal from Geelong Council for Portarlington Street in the regional city of Geelong.
Beyond speed limit adjustments, the program funds a range of other evidence-based road safety upgrades, including the installation of new speed bumps and targeted improvements to bicycle infrastructure across the state. All projects are led by local councils, with state government grants covering implementation costs, aligned with Victoria’s broader long-term Road Safety Strategy.
Road Safety Minister Ros Spence emphasized that the partnership between the state and local governments is focused on delivering tangible, on-the-ground improvements to roads that Victorians rely on daily. “These projects will make local streets safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists right across the state,” Spence said.
The state’s Road Safety Strategy sets two ambitious public safety targets: cutting the number of annual road deaths in half by 2030, and eliminating all road fatalities entirely by 2050. Officials note that reduced speed limits in dense, high-foot-traffic areas have been shown to dramatically lower the risk of severe injury and death in the event of a collision, making the trials a core component of the strategy’s early implementation.