Aussie town makes major speed limit change in growing national trend
After a beloved grandmother was struck and killed in an alleged hit and run in March, a Queensland town has taken drastic action.
After a grandmother was struck and killed in an alleged hit and run earlier this year, an Aussie town has made the contentious decision to reduce the local speed limit in the area to 30 kilometres an hour — the latest spot around the country to make the increasingly popular move.
In a bid to improve both driver and pedestrian safety, Tugun, a beach-side coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, has now capped speed limits to 30 kilometres per hour for the main thoroughfare. It comes after grandmother Cathy Kelly, a US national, was killed while walking home from church.
Critics argue Tugun's high street will now move slower than an ordinary school zone, which are typically 40km/h. However advocates in the town told 7News the new limit is "essential" due to the way "idiots speed around here", with others agreeing "if that's what it takes to keep people safe", then it's a good idea.
According to the City of Gold Coast council, there were 16 recorded crashes in Tugun in the last five years, 12 involving vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists.
The town is the most recent in the country to adopt a reduced speed limit to improve the safety of those vulnerable road users, after Canberra in 2021 lowered the speed limit in major inner-city roads from 60km/hr to 40km.
Australia's push to reduce speed limits
Queensland's Sunshine Coast recently reduced speed limits on busy local roads like the David Low Way and Bradman Avenue, lowering some sections from 60 km/h to 50 km/h.
In Western Australia, thousands of roads could soon see significant speed reductions under a new trial aimed at curbing the skyrocketing rate of road fatalities. If approved next month, the scheme would see the limit changed on almost 2,000 roads, with a focus on regional areas.
In WA, road fatalities soared in 2024. By mid-year, the state recorded 102 deaths on its roads, marking a substantial increase over previous years meaning 2024 might be one of the deadliest years in a decade.
Perth is already implementing 30 km/h zones in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic.
It joins other cities like Melbourne and Sydney that have trialed similar reductions in selected urban zones. In July, the City of Sydney announced speed limits on all metro streets would be reduced to a maximum of 40 kilometres per hour.
In some places, including in the CBD, in village centres and on streets with high levels of pedestrian activity, the City recommends people drive at just 30 km/h, pushing the state government to implement formal restrictions.
Recently the city's the Inner West and Mosman also adopted similar reductions. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, road safety expert Peter McLean said there are many reasons we should be looking at lowering limits — the obvious and most important being safety.
"There's a direct relationship between reducing speed limits by 10 kilometres and reduced fatalities," he told Yahoo.
"In those dense urban environments, certainly a 30km/h speed limit has proven to be very, very safe, effective and efficient, for a number of reasons."
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